Arrest Team Sneaks into Han Dong-hoon's Room... Why Against the Ruling Party Leader Fighting the Opposition?

Handonghun Meets President Yoon to Protest 'Martial Law Troops Arrest Squad'
Yoon: "Wasn't It Because of the Proclamation Order?"
Effectively Admits Existence of 'Handonghun Arrest Squad'
Pro-Han Faction: "Opposition Claims of Arresting as Pro-North Lack Logical Basis, But Why Does Ruling Party Leader Say So?"
People Power Party Requests Protection for Handonghun and Strengthens Security

Amid controversy over claims that martial law troops who entered the National Assembly grounds after President Yoon Seok-yeol's surprise declaration of emergency martial law on the night of the 3rd attempted to arrest the leaders of both ruling and opposition parties, it has been reported that one party leader met with President Yoon to directly protest. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

Following President Yoon Suk-yeol's surprise declaration of martial law on the night of the 3rd and the entry of martial law troops into the National Assembly grounds, controversy has arisen over claims that these troops attempted to arrest the leaders of both ruling and opposition parties. It has been reported that one party leader met directly with President Yoon to lodge a protest.

According to political circles on the 6th, the party leader met with President Yoon at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the 4th to protest the deployment of an arrest squad that tried to detain him at the time martial law was declared. This was in response to claims from the Democratic Party of Korea that the martial law troops who entered the National Assembly attempted to arrest Speaker Woo Won-sik and leaders of both ruling and opposition parties.

In response to the party leader's protest, President Yoon reportedly replied along the lines of, "If the martial law troops did that, it was probably because of the proclamation that explicitly banned political activities." This has led to interpretations that President Yoon may have implicitly acknowledged the existence of an arrest squad.

Pro-Yoon Faction: "Does this mean all politicians opposing me will be arrested?"

In the early morning of the 4th, when military forces entering the main building of the National Assembly tried to enter the plenary hall from the People Power Party leader's office, National Assembly staff sprayed fire extinguishers to block their entry. Photo by Yonhap News

The pro-Yoon (Pro-Han Dong-hoon) faction also publicly expressed discomfort regarding the claim about the deployment of an arrest squad targeting the party leader. On the 5th, Kim Jong-hyuk, a Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, appeared on SBS Radio's "Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show" and asserted, "There is footage showing an arrest squad lying in wait at Han Dong-hoon’s party office, and as soon as the door opened, they poured out." Kim said, "The attempt to arrest Han Dong-hoon is not logically understandable," adding, "There is no logical basis for the claim that the opposition party is pro-North Korean and that their leader was targeted for arrest, but then why would the ruling party leader, who is fighting the opposition, be arrested?" He continued, "I simply cannot understand that logically," and said, "If I were to put it harshly, does this mean that all politicians opposing me will be arrested?"

The host then said to him, "Yesterday, the party leader strongly protested to President Yoon about the arrest attempt. The president responded by saying, 'If that happened, it was probably because it violated the proclamation banning political activities, so they tried to arrest him.' Depending on how you hear it, this is not a denial that such an event did not happen, but rather a response that could be seen as the president acknowledging the arrest attempt against Han Dong-hoon." Kim Jong-hyuk replied, "That proclamation itself is illogical. Members of the National Assembly can gather to decide whether to support or oppose the martial law. But immediately issuing a proclamation that bans political activities in the National Assembly effectively blocks any grounds to oppose martial law. That proclamation itself is highly likely to be illegal," he pointed out. He added, "This is too emotional and illogical to be accepted," and said, "Those responsible must be held accountable." He also said, "This is not just my personal opinion; all 11 cabinet members who attended the State Council meeting opposed it. The National Intelligence Service director also said no, and the foreign affairs side warned that this would cause a major economic crisis."

Regarding President Yoon's claim that "martial law was declared to prevent the paralysis of state affairs caused by the opposition's violent acts, and I bear no fault," Kim Jong-hyuk said, "This is my personal judgment, but I find it hard to agree. I think not many among the public would agree with that. How can there be no fault? I was at the scene, and fully armed martial law troops broke the windows of the National Assembly and entered. Haven't you heard that an arrest squad was formed?"

The People Power Party requested the police to strengthen the personal security of party leader Han Dong-hoon on the same day. A party official stated, "There are significant concerns about the party leader's safety amid rumors that an 'arrest squad' was deployed to detain him at the time martial law was declared. The party is enhancing security measures and has also requested additional personnel from the police."