Travel Ban Imposed on Over 10 Individuals Including Airborne Brigade Commander
On the night of the 3rd, a decision was made to suspend the duties of the martial law commanders who deployed troops to the National Assembly and the National Election Commission during the state of emergency declared by President Yoon Suk-yeol.
On the 6th, the Ministry of National Defense announced via a text message distributed to the press corps, "As of today, the separation dispatch for the suspension of duties of three key officials related to the current situation?Capital Defense Command Commander Lee Jin-woo, Special Warfare Command Commander Kwak Jong-geun, and Military Counterintelligence Command Commander Yeo In-hyung (all Army Lieutenant Generals)?has been executed."
The units to which these officials were dispatched are as follows: Lieutenant General Lee Jin-woo to the Ground Operations Command, Lieutenant General Kwak Jong-geun to the Capital Corps, and Lieutenant General Yeo In-hyung to the Ministry of National Defense, where they are on standby. The Ministry designated the following acting commanders for these key positions: Lieutenant General Kim Ho-bok (current Deputy Commander of the Ground Operations Command, 3rd Army, 27th class) as Capital Defense Command Commander; Major General Park Seong-je (current Director of Education and Training, 17th class) as Special Warfare Command Commander; and Major General Lee Kyung-min (current Chief of Counterintelligence Staff, 50th class) as Military Counterintelligence Command Commander.
Additionally, the Military Prosecutor's Office of the Ministry of National Defense has applied to the Ministry of Justice for an emergency travel ban on 10 active-duty military personnel who have been indicted or implicated in charges related to the state of emergency, including charges of rebellion. The subjects of the emergency travel ban application include the former Martial Law Commander and the Counterintelligence Commander, Capital Defense Commander, Special Warfare Commander, as well as three Airborne Brigade commanders and three colonel-level commanders confirmed to have deployed troops.
Meanwhile, Kim Yong-hyun, the former Minister of National Defense who led the execution of martial law declared by President Yoon Suk-yeol on the night of the 3rd, is still residing at the Defense Minister’s official residence located in Hannam-dong, Seoul. A Ministry of National Defense official explained during a press briefing that when asked if Kim had left the residence, "He is currently still using the residence, but we expect changes soon," adding, "According to the residence regulations, he is supposed to move out within a month after resignation."
Kim, taking responsibility for the martial law incident, tendered his resignation to President Yoon on the 4th, and the President approved his dismissal the day before. Currently, Kim Sun-ho, Deputy Minister of National Defense, is acting as the Minister of National Defense.
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