"Completely Different" Yoon Seok-yeol VS Hong Jang-won, Who Is Lying? [AK Radio]

5th Impeachment Hearing Held at Constitutional Court on the 4th
Yoon Suk-yeol: "It Was About Assisting in Arresting Spies"
Hong Jangwon: "Arrest Them All, I Remember Every Word"

On February 4th at 2 p.m., the 5th hearing of the impeachment trial was held at the Constitutional Court's Grand Bench. Former Counterintelligence Commander Yeon In-hyung, former Capital Defense Command Commander Lee Jin-woo, and former 1st Deputy Director of the National Intelligence Service Hong Jang-won appeared as witnesses. They attracted attention as key witnesses related to the 'order to arrest politicians.' However, former Commanders Lee and Yeon were reluctant to testify, stating that “since a criminal trial is ongoing, we will not answer.” In contrast, former Deputy Director Hong gave conflicting testimonies regarding the phone call with President Yoon Seok-yeol, who appeared as the respondent, on December 3rd, the day of martial law, including the content and reasons for the call.

From the left, President Yoon Seok-yeol, former Defense Security Command Commander Lee Jin-woo, former Counterintelligence Command Commander Yeo In-hyung, former 1st Deputy Director of the National Intelligence Service Hong Jang-won

Around 6:49 p.m., former Deputy Director Hong, who appeared at the Constitutional Court's Grand Bench, bowed toward President Yoon seated in the respondent's seat, but President Yoon turned his head in the opposite direction. Even after about two hours of witness examination ended, Hong bowed again, but President Yoon ignored him. President Yoon’s discomfort toward former Deputy Director Hong was clearly visible.

Former Deputy Director Hong testified, “At around 10:53 p.m. on December 3, 2024, President Yoon called and said, ‘I will give the National Intelligence Service counterintelligence investigation authority, so assist the Counterintelligence Command. Arrest them all.’ I remember the exact words. He did not specify particular targets or objects. I was not told who exactly to arrest. So, I called the Counterintelligence Commander, who read out the arrest list, and I wrote it down on a memo. I was standing in the open space at the entrance of the National Intelligence Service director’s residence, taking notes, but as I wrote, I thought something was wrong. Even now, I do not understand why they wanted to arrest and detain these people. I remember about 14 to 16 people,” he testified.

Former Commander Yeon, who is known to have read out the list to former Deputy Director Hong, only said, “I have a lot to say, but I will reveal it in the criminal trial.”

Photo by Hong Jang-won, former 1st Deputy Director of the National Intelligence Service, attending the 5th impeachment trial hearing, Yonhap News Agency

President Yoon claimed, “Former Deputy Director Hong’s memo was passed to Democratic Party lawmaker Park Seon-won on December 6, and that started all processes including charges of treason. The phone call to former Deputy Director Hong on the day of martial law was unrelated to martial law. It was about assisting the Counterintelligence Command because the National Intelligence Service has no investigative authority regarding spy arrests. The National Intelligence Service has no investigative authority and cannot perform location tracking. It makes no sense.” On this day, President Yoon admitted that he sent the military to the Central Election Commission. He testified, “I told former Minister Kim to send the military to the Election Commission during martial law. I ordered the martial law troops to be deployed to screen how the Election Commission system, which the National Intelligence Service could not fully monitor, was operating.”

Former Commander of the Capital Defense Command Lee Jin-woo attending the 5th impeachment trial hearing

Former Commander Lee testified, “I never received orders to arrest anyone or to block the National Assembly’s resolution to lift emergency martial law.” He denied, “Most of the content in the prosecution’s indictment is not my statements.” The indictment states, “During the emergency martial law situation, President Yoon called former Commander Lee four times, ordering him to go to the plenary session hall and carry out four people one by one. He ordered to break down the door by shooting if necessary and drag them out. He instructed to continue because martial law could be declared two or three times.” Yesterday’s testimony contradicts this.

Yeon In-hyung, former Counterintelligence Commanding General, is attending the 5th impeachment trial hearing and providing testimony.

Former Commander Yeon admitted that he received orders from former Minister Kim and delivered the list of arrest targets to Police Commissioner General Jo Ji-ho. Former Minister Kim, who appeared as a witness at the impeachment trial on the 23rd of last month, testified, “I never received orders from President Yoon to arrest politicians. I only instructed to monitor the movements of those suspected of violating the proclamation.”

While former Deputy Director Hong has maintained consistent statements, other witnesses showed discrepancies between their prosecution statements and Constitutional Court testimonies or avoided testifying citing ongoing criminal trials. Because of this, the justices sometimes appeared to verify the credibility of the witnesses’ prosecution statements.

※ For more detailed information, please click the video.

So far, there has been no direct testimony or statement that President Yoon ordered the arrest of politicians. Former Minister Kim and former Commander Yeon, who were in positions to know the details, have remained silent. Because of this, there are calls for a seizure and search of the presidential security office’s secret phone server to verify the secret phone call contents. If an investigation on this matter proceeds in the future, it is expected to provide important clues to uncover the truth of the case.

Former Special Warfare Commander Gwak Jong-geun, who appeared before the Special Committee on the National Security Investigation on Charges of Insurrection held at the National Assembly, is responding to questions from lawmakers.

Meanwhile, former Special Warfare Commander Kwak Jong-geun, who appeared before the Special Committee on the National Assembly’s investigation into charges of treason, stated, “President Yoon called on the secret phone and said it seemed the quorum was not met, ordering to break down the National Assembly door and pull out the people inside. Between 12:20 a.m. and 12:35 a.m. on December 4, President Yoon and former Minister Kim called and ordered to pull out the members of the National Assembly,” and refuted former Minister Kim’s claim, “It was not members of the National Assembly but agents who were pulled out.”