National Assembly Intelligence Committee Deadlocked Over Disclosure of 'Emergency Martial Law Inquiry'

Opposition: "Non-disclosure Blocks Public's Right to Know"
Ruling Party: "Not Good to Disclose Intelligence Agency Organization"
Hong Jang-won, Who Exposed 'Politician Arrest,' Absent

The National Assembly Intelligence Committee attempted to conduct an 'urgent inquiry on martial law-related issues,' but the session broke down due to clashes between the ruling and opposition parties over whether the meeting should be public. The opposition emphasized the public's right to know, while the ruling party argued that information concerning intelligence agencies should not be disclosed. Hong Jang-won, former 1st Deputy Director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), who revealed that President Yoon Suk-yeol ordered the arrest of politicians during the martial law declaration, did not attend the meeting.

On the 7th, the National Assembly Intelligence Committee convened a plenary session. Shin Sung-beom, the committee chair from the People Power Party, attempted to switch the meeting to a closed session immediately after opening it, but opposition lawmakers blocked this, calling it a 'blockade of the right to know.'

Cho Tae-yong, Director of the National Intelligence Service, is attending the full meeting of the Intelligence Committee held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the morning of the 7th. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

Democratic Party lawmaker Park Ji-won stated, "Holding a closed session on facts already known worldwide is a blockade of the public's and the world's right to know," adding, "There is no security risk whatsoever." In response, People Power Party lawmaker Kwon Young-se said, "The NIS and the Defense Counterintelligence Command, which respond to martial law, are the most sensitive organizations in our country," and argued, "It is undesirable for the organization or operational principles of intelligence agencies to be disclosed."

With opinions divided, the plenary session was suspended, and the ruling and opposition party secretaries discussed the disclosure issue again. However, as both parties convened their respective caucuses ahead of the impeachment vote on President Yoon, the Intelligence Committee ultimately ended in deadlock. Present at the plenary session were NIS Director Cho Tae-yong and former Defense Counterintelligence Command Commander Yeo In-hyung.

Hong Jang-won, former 1st Deputy Director of the NIS who revealed that President Yoon ordered the arrest of politicians, did not appear citing health reasons. He had stated the previous day that President Yoon personally instructed, immediately after declaring martial law, to "arrest them all and clean up," and that he received a specific arrest list from the Defense Counterintelligence Command.

The seat of Hong Jang-won, the 1st Deputy Director of the National Intelligence Service, who was absent from the full meeting of the Intelligence Committee held at the National Assembly on the 7th, is empty. On the left is Kim Nam-woo, Director of the Planning Office of the National Intelligence Service. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Association

Opposition party secretary Park Seon-won also disclosed messages exchanged personally with former Deputy Director Hong.

Hong told Park, "(At the martial law review) the State Council meeting reportedly only expressed concerns rather than opposition (by Director Cho Tae-yong), which amounts to complicity or aiding and abetting martial law," adding, "Even though reports were made that they were going after Lee Jae-myung and Han Dong-hoon, the only directive and response was to 'talk tomorrow,' even turning their faces away."

Regarding this, People Power Party secretary Lee Seong-gwon told reporters, "Former Deputy Director Hong did not specifically say he received a phone call from the President when he visited Director Cho," and defended, "If the President's call did not include instructions like 'arrest them all and clean up,' it cannot be considered as ignoring the issue."

Meanwhile, the NIS issued a statement that day, "Former 1st Deputy Director Hong Jang-won claims he reported the 'order to arrest politicians, etc.' to the Director, but this is completely untrue," and added, "From June 3, when the order was allegedly received, until the morning of June 6, when the first report was made, he did not report or share this with anyone inside the NIS."