Persistent Military Operation Allegations Raised by the Opposition [Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club]

KJCCS Log File Deletion and Drone Intrusion Incident
Allegations Raised Regarding Martial Law Situation Despite Ministry of National Defense's Rebuttal

Amid opposition parties, calls are growing for additional investigations by the Ministry of National Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff regarding the December 3 emergency martial law incident. Although the military has been rebutting the so-called ‘North Wind Operation Suspicion’ with examples, the calls do not seem to subside easily. As suspicions of the Ministry of National Defense’s concealment and downplaying of the incident have surfaced, there are also demands to form a special investigation team to start investigations before evidence is destroyed.

At the Joint Investigation Headquarters (Joint Investigation HQ) notified President Yoon Seok-yeol on the 20th to appear at the Corruption Investigation Office by 10 a.m. on the 25th, security guards are standing watch at the entrance of the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul on the 20th. Photo by Heo Young-han

The Democratic Party of Korea’s Yoon Seok-yeol Insurrection Truth Investigation Team urged the formation of a special investigation team within the Ministry of National Defense, stating that "there are attempts within the Ministry of National Defense to conceal and downplay the incident" related to the December 3 emergency martial law incident. They called for expanding the investigation to include military personnel.

The investigation team claimed that there is a high possibility that evidence is being destroyed within the Ministry of National Defense. Representative Park Seon-won said, "There are log files in the ‘Korean Joint Command and Control System’ (KJCCS), which is the command and communication system of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), and it appears that more than three of these have been deleted," adding, "Under the direction of Acting Minister of National Defense Kim Seon-ho, a special investigation team should be formed to investigate the reasons for the deletions and submit the core contents of the situation logs (log files) to the joint investigation headquarters."

The files mentioned by Representative Park are part of the December 4 log files, including △the situation log related to the Level 2 alert order of the Communications Command △the situation log following the declaration of martial law △the situation log related to the Level 2 alert order. Representative Park argued, "(The deletion of the three log files) occurred before the automatic deletion period of 30 days, meaning evidence is being destroyed during that time."

In response, the Joint Chiefs of Staff explained, "The JCS did not delete the log records. An officer in charge at the Army Command and Communication Command deleted them while correcting errors or updating the situation logs as part of the unit’s internal measures."

Allegations were also raised that former Intelligence Commander Noh Sang-won, known as the mastermind behind the emergency martial law incident, received cash as a bribe in exchange for promotions while preparing for martial law. Representative Chu Mi-ae, head of the investigation team, said at a press conference, "The investigation into former Commander Noh is stagnant. The Ministry of National Defense is collectively remaining silent among groups," and added, "A special investigation team must be immediately formed within the Ministry of National Defense." Former Commander Noh is currently under investigation by the joint investigation headquarters, which includes the National Investigation Headquarters, the High-ranking Officials’ Crime Investigation Unit, and the Ministry of National Defense’s investigation headquarters.

There are also claims that the infiltration of a South Korean drone into Pyongyang, North Korea, was directly ordered by President Yoon Seok-yeol. Representative Bu Seung-chan of the Democratic Party’s Yoon Seok-yeol Insurrection Truth Investigation Team said, "We received a tip from a military official that the drone infiltration into Pyongyang last October was directly ordered to the Drone Operations Command through the National Security Office, bypassing the Ministry of National Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff."

Lee Seong-jun, Public Affairs Officer of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a regular briefing regarding the opposition’s suspicion that North Korea’s claim of a South Korean drone infiltrating Pyongyang was ordered directly to the Drone Operations Command, bypassing the official command channels of the Ministry of National Defense and the JCS, "We cannot confirm this and maintain the same position as before."

However, this differs from the military’s previous responses, which were limited to general statements such as "There was no order for a preemptive strike," "Maintaining readiness against North Korean provocations is the military’s fundamental duty," and "Details of military operations cannot be confirmed." During the National Assembly audit at the time, former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun initially said, "That never happened," but changed his stance an hour later, saying, "I cannot confirm."

Subsequently, the Drone Operations Commander answered "I cannot confirm" when asked at last month’s National Assembly Defense Committee plenary session, "Who ordered the drone infiltration into Pyongyang?" When further asked, "North Korea said it was sent from South Korea; is that true?" Commander Kim maintained strategic ambiguity by replying, "I cannot confirm." Some interpret the fact that our military generals did not deny this as evidence suggesting that our military was behind the drone operation.

If the Pyongyang drone infiltration was indeed former Minister Kim’s ‘martial law plan,’ it is possible to conclude that some personnel centered around President Yoon and former Minister Kim had been preparing for martial law for a considerable period. Considering the drone incident occurred last October, the preparation period for martial law would extend to at least two months or more.

Our military is expected to continue maintaining a uniform ‘NCND’ (Neither Confirm Nor Deny) stance regarding the drone incident. However, as meetings of various National Assembly standing committees related to the emergency martial law are underway, there is a possibility that the truth will eventually be uncovered. Additionally, the opposition is pushing for President Yoon’s impeachment, and during this process, other military operations discussed and planned in preparation for martial law may also be revealed.