Democratic Party: "Park An-su, Chief of Army Staff, Came to Seoul the Day Before Emergency Martial Law Declaration"

12·3 Incident Commander Park Testified "Did Not Know" During National Assembly Defense Committee Inquiry
Park Seon-won "Urgent Search of Army Headquarters Needed"

The 'Yoon Seok-yeol Insurrection Investigation Team (Investigation Team)', an internal organization of the Democratic Party of Korea, claimed that the Army Headquarters' movements before the declaration and after the lifting of martial law during the December 3 emergency martial law incident were suspicious and insisted that the Army Headquarters should be subjected to a search and seizure.

The investigation team, led by Assemblywoman Chu Mi-ae, stated in a notice on the 13th, "Based on additional reports to the Ministry of National Defense and the Army Headquarters, the martial law was effectively in place for 8 hours, not just 2 hours," and "an urgent search and seizure of the Army Headquarters is necessary." The team consists of Assemblywoman Chu, Deputy Heads Park Beom-gye and Seo Young-kyo, Secretaries Lee So-young and Park Seon-won, and Assemblymen Kang Yoo-jung, Boo Seung-chan, Yang Bu-nam, Lee Geon-tae, and Lee Sang-sik. They held a closed meeting at the National Assembly the previous morning.

Chairman Shin Seong-beom (left) is trying to declare a recess at the full meeting of the Intelligence Committee held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the morning of the 7th, when Park Seon-won, the opposition party secretary, blocks him by holding the gavel. On this day, the Democratic Party proposed a public meeting for an urgent inquiry regarding the emergency martial law related to the Intelligence Committee. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

Assemblyman Park Seon-won emphasized that the emergency martial law declared by President Yoon Seok-yeol on the 3rd was a "pre-meditated martial law." He said, "General Park An-su, Chief of Staff of the Army, was the martial law commander during the December 3 incident and a key figure, yet he consistently responded with 'I don't know' during the full meeting of the National Defense Committee, despite circumstances that are difficult to accept." General Park was the martial law commander from the declaration to the lifting of martial law. During the full meeting of the National Defense Committee on the 5th, he repeatedly answered "I didn't know" to most questions related to martial law troop activities.

Assemblyman Park mentioned that General Park came to Seoul from Gyeryongdae, Chungnam, the day before the declaration of martial law, stating, "General Park was ordered by the Minister of National Defense to be on standby in Seoul." He also said that four key generals of the Army Headquarters were summoned to Seoul at 4 p.m. on the 3rd. He argued that personnel changes within the Army Headquarters for martial law preparations were made before the declaration and that the Minister of National Defense carried the martial law proclamation document in a yellow envelope two days prior, supporting the claim of a "pre-meditated martial law."

Furthermore, Assemblyman Park pointed out that the Army Headquarters staff continued their activities even after the National Assembly passed a resolution demanding the lifting of martial law in the early morning of the 4th. He said, "At 3 a.m. on the 4th, the Army Headquarters staff departed for Seoul using an Army Headquarters bus from Gyeryongdae," and claimed, "Since no investigation has been conducted on the Army Headquarters, immediate search and seizure and the commencement of an investigation are necessary."

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