Sangmin Lee, 'State Council Members Oppose Martial Law to Yoon' Police Statement

Cabinet Members Testify in Police Investigation
"President Yoon Mentioned, 'Even My Wife Doesn't Know About Martial Law'"

The Special Investigation Unit of the National Police Agency reportedly secured a statement on the 30th from attendees of the Cabinet meeting held just before the declaration of martial law on December 3 last year, indicating that President Yoon Seok-yeol mentioned that "even his wife (First Lady Kim Keon-hee) does not know" about the plan to declare martial law.

Former Minister of the Interior and Safety Sang-min Lee is refusing to testify at the first hearing of the "Special Committee on the National Investigation into the Treason Charges through the Declaration of Martial Law by the Yoon Seok-yeol Administration," held at the National Assembly on the 22nd. Photo by Yonhap News

It is reported that during the Cabinet meeting, President Yoon told Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, among others, “Even my wife does not know (about the plan to declare martial law),” adding, “My wife would be very upset.”

Additionally, when some Cabinet members opposed the declaration of martial law, President Yoon is believed to have referred to a scheduled live broadcast on KBS at 10 p.m. on the night of the martial law declaration.

At the time, Minister Lee Sang-min reportedly conveyed to President Yoon the Cabinet members’ opposition to the declaration of martial law. Minister Lee is said to have testified to this during police questioning, which contradicts the testimony of former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun at the Constitutional Court.

Choi Sang-mok, Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, reportedly stated during police questioning that he did not believe the meeting was a Cabinet meeting, and if it had been, there would have been serious procedural flaws.

The police have secured statements from Cabinet meeting attendees regarding President Yoon’s remarks about the martial law declaration plan, as well as testimony concerning the KBS live broadcast announcement.