30-Minute Call 4 Hours 30 Minutes Before Martial Law Announcement
"No Call Records with Former Martial Law Commander"
Meeting Minutes Are Key...Individual Remarks Likely Unverifiable
It has been confirmed that former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun, who proposed martial law to President Yoon Suk-yeol, spoke with Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min about 4 hours and 30 minutes before the declaration of martial law. Minister Lee is a junior alumnus of Chung-Ang High School to both President Yoon and former Minister Kim.
On the 6th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety disclosed in materials submitted to Lee Sang-sik, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, that Minister Lee received a call from former Minister Kim for about 30 seconds around 6 p.m. on the 3rd. From December 1 to 4, this call was the only communication between the two sides, but the content of their conversation was not revealed.
Given the timing, it is highly likely that the call took place while Minister Lee was traveling from a provincial area to Seoul. Minister Lee, who appeared before the National Assembly the previous day, stated that he boarded the KTX bound for Seoul from Ulsan at around 5:40 p.m. on the 3rd. Since the call occurred while Minister Lee was on the KTX, the conversation with former Minister Kim may have involved more specific discussions beyond just 'attending the Cabinet meeting.' However, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety responded that there is "no record" of Minister Lee having spoken with former Martial Law Commander Park An-su between the 1st and 4th of this month.
Although the political circles are examining the entire process before and after the martial law, currently, investigation remains the only solution. Above all, there is no transcript of the Cabinet meeting convened by President Yoon on the night of the 3rd before declaring martial law. Minister Lee stated, "The minutes containing the list of Cabinet members will soon be published on the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s website," but added, "There is usually no recording of Cabinet meetings, and the minutes only contain the meeting summary, not the individual remarks of participants." Even if the minutes are released later, it is expected that only a 'bare-bones' version without individual statements will remain.
Procedural issues may also be raised. The 'Cabinet Meeting Regulations' state that "the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s secretary is responsible for serving as the secretary of the Cabinet meeting and preparing the minutes." Although the secretary is not obligated to attend the Cabinet meeting, Secretary Kim Han-su said, "I did not attend the Cabinet meeting at that time. There has never been a case where the secretary’s office did not participate in the Cabinet meeting."
The Information Disclosure Center, which filed information disclosure requests with the Presidential Secretariat and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety regarding the Cabinet meeting minutes, transcripts, and recordings related to President Yoon’s declaration of martial law, stated, "All Cabinet meeting minutes are the starting point of evidence that can reveal the truth of this unconstitutional crime," and demanded, "The National Archives should immediately freeze the disposal of all records related to this martial law and take prompt measures to securely manage and preserve them."
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