Kim Byung-joo: "The arrest squad of lawmakers during martial law were North Korean operatives HID... I couldn't believe my ears"

"Special Forces Deployed in War for Kidnapping and Assassinating VIPs"
"Assembled Without Commander Approval... Possibility of Private Organization"

Kim Byung-joo, a Supreme Council Member of the Democratic Party of Korea, claimed that the North Korean infiltration operative unit (HID)) was deployed as an arrest squad targeting National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik and party leaders Lee Jae-myung and Han Dong-hoon at the time of the martial law declaration, stating, "They are specialized special forces that enter North Korea or enemy countries during wartime to kidnap and assassinate key figures."

Kim, a former four-star general, appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' and YouTube's 'Kim Eo-jun's Humility is Difficult News Factory' on the 9th, saying, "I received a report that HID, the elite unit under the Intelligence Command, was on standby," adding, "They selected five elite operatives from each unit, totaling about 20 personnel, and had them on standby at an undisclosed location in Seoul." He continued, "When I first received the report, I couldn't believe it. So, I confirmed it multiple times through various channels," emphasizing the reliability of the information.

He further stated, "There was a list of 10 politicians to be arrested, including Representative Lee," and added, "It seems the 707 Special Task Force was responsible for pulling lawmakers out of the National Assembly, and if they escaped or hid, HID would have been deployed to arrest them." He said, "If the National Assembly had been occupied and martial law continued, this unit would have started arresting key figures from the morning of the 4th. However, since martial law ended after six hours, it appears they did not actually deploy."

When host Kim Eo-jun asked, "Was the 707 Special Task Force operated as an arrest squad and HID as an assassination squad?" Kim replied, "If the arrest was resisted, assassination might have been considered."

In the early morning of the 4th, military troops who entered the National Assembly main building are heading toward the plenary session hall. Photo by Yonhap News

Earlier, Hong Jang-won, the first deputy director of the National Intelligence Service, claimed that he received orders from President Yoon Suk-yeol to arrest politicians immediately after the martial law declaration. The arrest list he revealed included Speaker Woo, Leader Han, Leader Lee, as well as Park Chan-dae, the Democratic Party floor leader; Kim Min-seok, a Supreme Council Member of the Democratic Party; Jung Cheong-rae, chairman of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee; Cho Kuk, leader of the Innovation Party; YouTuber Kim Eo-jun; former Supreme Court Chief Justice Kim Myung-soo; and former Supreme Court Justice Kwon Soon-il.

Kim Byung-joo said, "I believe the Intelligence Commanding General issued the standby order to HID," adding, "I received reports that two key colonel-level officers from the Intelligence Command were mainly involved." He continued, "It is presumed that the person who spoke to the Intelligence Commanding General was former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, but this requires further investigation."

He also mentioned the possibility of a private military organization within the army. Kim said, "When mobilizing, they bypassed the lower HID unit commanders and ordered the call-up directly at the lieutenant colonel level, causing significant confusion," speculating, "It seems a private organization was operating. I suspect it was a cell-like structure that secretly ignored the command chain."