Three Martial Law Commanders Begin Removal from Posts

Yeoinhyeong, Gwak Jong-geun, and Commander Lee Jin-woo Subjected
President Park An-su to Attend Warrant Hearing Today

The Ministry of National Defense is set to begin the process of dismissing commanders of the martial law forces from their posts. The targets are Army Lieutenant Generals Yeo In-hyung, Commander of the Defense Security Command, Kwak Jong-geun, Commander of the Special Warfare Command, and Lee Jin-woo, Commander of the Capital Defense Command, who deployed troops to the National Assembly and the Central Election Management Committee during the 'December 3 Martial Law' incident.

Yonhap News

According to the Ministry of National Defense on the 17th, the Central Regional Military Court issued arrest warrants on the 14th for Yeo In-hyung, Commander of the Defense Security Command, and on the previous day for Kwak Jong-geun, Commander of the Special Warfare Command, and Lee Jin-woo, Commander of the Capital Defense Command (all Army Lieutenant Generals). Earlier, the Prosecution's Special Investigation Headquarters for Martial Law had requested arrest warrants from the military court for these three martial law commanders on charges including involvement in important tasks related to rebellion.

Commander Yeo is accused of sending troops to the National Assembly and the Election Commission on the night of December 3, when President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law, under the orders of then Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun, instructing the arrest of key figures including representatives of ruling and opposition parties and securing the central election commission's computer servers. Commander Kwak deployed troops from the 707th Special Mission Group under the Special Warfare Command, as well as the 1st, 3rd, and 9th Airborne units to the National Assembly and the Election Commission, while Commander Lee dispatched military police units and the 1st Security Group under the Capital Defense Command to the National Assembly.

The military views detention as grounds for dismissal from post under relevant laws such as the Military Personnel Act. Article 14, Paragraph 4 of the Enforcement Decree of the Military Personnel Act stipulates that military personnel who are detained due to misconduct related to their duties and are unable to perform their duties shall be dismissed from their posts, and a dismissal review committee shall be convened within seven days to make a decision. This means that the military intends to review the procedures for dismissal in accordance with this law.

The prosecution also requested an arrest warrant yesterday for Army General Park An-soo, Chief of Staff of the Army and martial law commander at the time of the martial law declaration, on charges including involvement in important tasks related to rebellion. The military court is scheduled to conduct a warrant hearing for General Park on the morning of the 17th.

Previously, seven active-duty generals, including General Park, Commander Yeo, Commander Kwak, Commander Lee, Jeong Seong-woo, Chief of the 1st Division of the Defense Security Command, Kim Dae-woo, Head of the Defense Security Command Investigation Unit, and Moon Sang-ho, Commander of the Intelligence Command, were suspended from their duties in connection with the martial law incident.