"Kim Tae-hyo's Visit to HID Unit Greatly Unexpected"
"Never Visited HID Even in 39 Years of Military Service"
Kim Byung-joo, a Supreme Council Member of the Democratic Party of Korea, claimed that Kim Tae-hyo, the First Deputy Director of the National Security Office, visited the 'North Infiltration Operation Unit (HID)' in June 2023 with the intention of preparing for martial law.
On the 9th, Kim appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' and said, "According to a tip, on June 1, 2023, Kim Tae-hyo, the First Deputy Director of the Security Office, visited the HID unit, stayed for a long time, received briefings, and checked the training scenes of HID agents one by one. Even the HID unit found his visit very unexpected, as only commanders on the intelligence line have ever been there. I have served in the military for 39 years and have never been there myself."
He added, "This is a unit that requires secrecy to the extent that even the division commander responsible for the operational area is not allowed access, so it is very suspicious why Kim, who is in charge of diplomacy, went there. There is a tip that President Yoon Suk-yeol was supposed to visit at that time, but the visit was canceled, and Kim went instead."
Kim said, "At the time, I suspected (based on the tip) whether they were trying to overcome a political crisis by stirring up a 'north wind' operation. The puzzle came together when martial law was declared. From then on, it is reasonable to suspect that President Yoon was already considering martial law and trying to utilize HID agents."
Kim Tae-hyo refuted Kim Byung-joo’s claim of an 'intent to plot a rebellion using HID,' stating, "The visit to the HID unit was for encouragement," and called it a "baseless leap."
Kim Byung-joo said, "There are tips and testimonies that from the early days of the presidency, discussions about martial law were held frequently in various places. After becoming president, he tried to resolve political issues a lot, but it was around late 2022 when President Yoon’s approval rating peaked and then continuously declined. If political solutions failed, he might have thought about drawing the sword of martial law at any time to settle things with force."
Kim also confirmed that on the morning of December 3, the day martial law was declared, a facility inspection was conducted at the war command bunker in the Chungcheong region, and he claimed it was suspected to be for the purpose of using it as a 'detention facility.' He said, "Isn't it to imprison doctors on leave, politicians, and journalists there? Also, the fact that the inspection itself was conducted is evidence that martial law was already notified to subordinate units in advance and that they were given orders."
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