Former Female Counterintelligence Commander: "Opposed Martial Law Several Times... Acted Passively"

"Difficult to Determine Legality of Live TV Broadcast in the Moment"

Former Counterintelligence Commander Yeo In-hyung stated on the 3rd regarding the December 3 emergency martial law situation, “I repeatedly advised President Yoon Seok-yeol and then Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun against the martial law,” adding, “The mission assigned to the Counterintelligence Command at the time was carried out passively.”

Ye In-hyung, former Commander of the Republic of Korea Army Counterintelligence Command, is attending an emergency briefing on martial law at the National Assembly Intelligence Committee on the 7th. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

Former Commander Yeo attended the preparatory hearing held at the Central District Military Court in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, that morning and said, “I would like to apologize once again to everyone. However, I ask for leniency for the Counterintelligence Command personnel who, as soldiers, had no choice but to follow orders,” expressing these remarks.

Regarding taking related measures despite opposing the martial law, former Commander Yeo said, “On December 3, I carried out the explicit martial law declaration order from the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Since emergency martial law was declared, we performed the tasks assigned according to the operational plan,” emphasizing, “No one could have judged at that moment whether the live broadcast on TV was appropriate or an act of rebellion.”

Former Commander Yeo also stressed that the Counterintelligence Command responded passively to measures after the martial law declaration. He stated, “The emergency assembly of Counterintelligence Command personnel living outside the base was completed at 1 a.m. on December 4, the day after the martial law,” adding, “This means the Counterintelligence Command was not prepared at all for the martial law.”

He emphasized, “Counterintelligence Command personnel did not enter the National Assembly premises; they waited inside vehicles on the outskirts of Yeouido and withdrew following the withdrawal order,” and “The personnel sent to the National Election Commission did not even arrive there.”