Military initiates dismissal procedures for Yeon Inhyeong and Lee Jinwoo over 'insurrection involvement'

The military will initiate the procedure to dismiss from their posts General Yeo In-hyung, Commander of the Republic of Korea Army Counterintelligence Command, and General Lee Jin-woo, Commander of the Republic of Korea Army Capital Defense Command, who have been arrested and indicted on charges including involvement in the 'December 12-3 Emergency Martial Law' and participation in important tasks related to insurrection.

Yeo In-hyung, former Commander of the Defense Security Command, is attending the full meeting of the Intelligence Committee held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the morning of December 7 last year. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Association

According to the Ministry of National Defense on the 1st, the Ministry will soon complete the formation of the dismissal review committees for Generals Yeo and Lee and decide whether to dismiss them from their posts. The dismissal review committee for General Yeo will be established within the Ministry of National Defense, while the committee for General Lee will be set up within the Army Headquarters.

The review process includes a procedure for the parties to present their explanations, so it is expected to take more than ten days before a result is reached. Previously, the Ministry of National Defense suspended the duties of the two commanders immediately after the emergency martial law incident, but stated that dismissal from their posts would be decided only if the charges are confirmed through an official investigation. According to the Military Personnel Act, dismissal from a post is possible when serious misconduct makes normal work performance impossible.