[Column] The Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety Hidden Behind a Mask of Ambiguity

"How can you stop the president's authority? Does throwing away the (ministerial) position stop it?"

On the 5th, during an emergency inquiry related to martial law held at the National Assembly, Lee Sang-min, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, said this. It was in response to a lawmaker's question about what opinions he had conveyed to President Yoon Seok-yeol at the Cabinet meeting held before the declaration of martial law on the 3rd.

That day, Minister Lee continued with vague answers, implying that it was not appropriate for him to step forward. Regarding the question of whether the current situation qualifies as martial law, he evaded by saying, "(Martial law) is a highly political and governing act, so it seems inappropriate for me to comment."

Minister Lee said he arrived at the Presidential Office after 8 p.m. on the 3rd and learned then that a Cabinet meeting regarding martial law was to be held. He explained, "If I had ever thought about martial law, I would have studied it, but reviewing on the spot whether the (legal) conditions are met is impossible in reality."

There remain doubts about Minister Lee's explanation of what happened at the Cabinet meeting. He said, "No one clearly expressed approval or disapproval." Did the ministers really take such an ambiguous stance?

On the 5th, Cho Kyu-hong, Minister of Health and Welfare, who appeared at the National Assembly, stated, "I spoke out against (martial law) at the Cabinet meeting." Who said what at that Cabinet meeting is an important matter to be confirmed during the forthcoming investigation. This is not something that can be glossed over behind a mask of ambiguity.

Moreover, among the 11 Cabinet members known to have attended the Cabinet meeting, the Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety holds a special position worth noting. He is the minister in charge of the administrative procedure of the Cabinet meeting. Also, legally, he is one of the two ministers qualified to recommend martial law to the president. It is a position that naturally requires the highest level of knowledge about martial law. Minister Lee’s ambiguous attitude toward the legal controversy surrounding martial law may be related to his private relationship as a close aide to President Yoon and a junior alumnus of Chungam High School.

Senior aides in the Presidential Office and the ruling party leadership are known not to have been aware in advance that President Yoon would declare martial law. On the other hand, Minister Lee was in a position to receive news about the martial law movement faster than others. It has been confirmed that 4 hours and 30 minutes before the martial law announcement, Minister Lee and Kim Yong-hyun, former Minister of National Defense and a key figure in this incident, had a phone call. The details of the conversation have not been disclosed, but this is a point that invites various interpretations.

Even if Minister Lee is reserved in his words, it should not be forgotten that he was at the forefront of the martial law incident itself.