Opposition 3 Parties: "Cannot Entrust Martial Law Investigation to Prosecution and Police... National Police Agency Must Investigate"

Press Conference by 3 Opposition Party Lawmakers from the Public Administration Committee
"Prosecutors Must Not Overstep... Guksubon Should Secure Kim Yong-hyun's Custody"

The three opposition parties?the Democratic Party of Korea, the Party for Justice and Innovation, and the Basic Income Party?argued that the investigation of the emergency martial law incident cannot be entrusted to the prosecution and police. They urged the National Investigation Headquarters to promptly arrest and investigate those involved.

Opposition lawmakers from the National Assembly's Administration and Security Committee held a press conference at the National Assembly on the morning of the 8th, stating, "Currently, the only agency in the Republic of Korea that can directly investigate the crime of rebellion is the National Investigation Headquarters," and emphasized, "The National Investigation Headquarters must immediately secure the custody of former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun and must no longer tolerate the prosecution's overreach in investigations."

President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law on the night of the 3rd, and in the early hours of the 4th, martial law troops are attempting to enter the main building of the National Assembly. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

They stressed, "Arrest and detain the rebellion suspect Yoon Seok-yeol immediately," and "Arrest all suspects involved in the rebellion, including those from the Presidential Office and the Ministry of National Defense, and conduct searches and seizures on related agencies." They also urged, "Swiftly secure key evidence of the December 3 rebellion incident, including all call records of the suspects, conversations on social networking services (SNS) such as Telegram, records of State Council meetings, and military unit deployment logs."

They stated, "If the investigation only superficially addresses the police mobilization during the December 3 rebellion incident, there is no reason for the National Investigation Headquarters to exist," and added, "The National Investigation Headquarters has the responsibility to promptly and thoroughly investigate without sanctuary to clarify the facts and criminal acts of the December 3 rebellion incident." They further said, "If they intend to stop the investigation at the level of scapegoating the police chief and other participants in the rebellion without investigating the ringleader Yoon Seok-yeol, they should rather withdraw from the investigation and immediately request the National Assembly to establish a special prosecutor's office."

Yoon Geon-young, the Democratic Party's floor leader on the Administration and Security Committee, stated, "The initial investigation cannot be entrusted to the prosecution," and argued, "The truth can only be revealed through a special prosecutor." Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Hae-sik said, "Police Chief Jo Ji-ho is also one of the suspects who instigated the rebellion," and added, "Chief Jo should be suspended from his position or impeached."