Prosecutors' Special Investigation Unit Indicts and Detains Army Chief Park An-su and Special Forces Commander Kwak Jong-geun

During the 12·3 Emergency Martial Law, high-ranking military generals who played key roles such as deploying troops to the National Assembly and the National Election Commission and issuing the proclamation order have been brought to trial while in custody.

Kwok Jong-geun, Commander of the Army Special Warfare Command, answering. On the right is Park An-su, former Martial Law Commander and Chief of Staff of the Army. Photo by Yonhap News.

The Special Investigation Headquarters for Emergency Martial Law (Head: Park Se-hyun, Seoul High Prosecutors' Office Chief Prosecutor) indicted Army Chief of Staff Park An-su and Special Warfare Commander Kwak Jong-geun on charges of engaging in important duties related to rebellion and abuse of authority on the 3rd. The prosecution viewed their actions as inciting riots with the intent to disrupt the constitutional order and abusing their official powers to compel unnecessary actions, and thus referred them to trial.

General Park is accused of receiving an unconstitutional and illegal proclamation order directly from former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun shortly after President Yoon Seok-yeol declared martial law on the 3rd of last month, signing and issuing it himself, and being involved in the formation of the Martial Law Command. He is also charged with requesting Police Commissioner General Cho Ji-ho to increase security personnel at the National Assembly and block access to the Assembly.

Commander Kwak was investigated for receiving orders from former Minister Kim on the 1st of last month, prior to the declaration of martial law, to blockade the National Assembly and the National Election Commission with Special Forces troops. Following these orders, he dispatched 197 troops from the 707 Special Mission Unit and 269 troops from the 1st Airborne Special Forces Brigade to the National Assembly at the time of the martial law declaration, and is believed to have ordered some of these troops to enter the National Assembly by climbing over the walls. Additionally, Commander Kwak is charged with ordering Special Forces troops to deploy to and blockade three National Election Commission offices (Gwacheon Office, Election Training Institute, and Gwanak Office) under former Minister Kim’s instructions.

Meanwhile, this is the fourth and fifth time individuals related to the emergency martial law incident have been brought to trial, following former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun, Counterintelligence Commander Yeo In-hyung, and Capital Defense Command Commander Lee Jin-woo.