Kim Hyuntae Testifies:
"Troops Only Acted Defensively"
Expresses Regret Over Confrontations with Citizens
Kim Hyun-tae, commander of the Army Special Warfare Command's 707 Special Mission Group, revealed that during the imposition of emergency martial law on December 3, when his unit was deployed to the National Assembly and engaged in physical confrontations with citizens, the troops felt a sense of self-disgust, and some even apologized on the spot.
Kim Hyun-tae, the commander of the 707 Special Mission Unit who was deployed to the National Assembly during the December 3 emergency martial law incident, appeared as a witness at the 6th impeachment trial hearing held at the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 6th, responding to questions from the press. 2025.02.06 Photo by Joint Press Corps
On the 6th, Kim appeared as a witness at the sixth hearing of President Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment trial held at the Constitutional Court, stating, "Most of the troops felt a sense of self-disgust, thinking 'What am I doing here right now?' and 'Why am I acting like this against the people?' during the physical confrontations with the citizens," adding, "The troops only acted defensively."
Regarding the press conference held on December 9 last year, after the emergency martial law at the National Assembly was lifted, which claimed that "the troops were victims exploited by former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun," he responded, "The troops were victims in a legal sense when issues arose," and "I believe the cause lay with the minister at that time."
He continued, "There were rumors on the 8th and 9th that I would be suspended from duty, so I thought I had to hold the press conference then, decided on the evening of the 8th, and held the press conference on the 9th."
After finishing his testimony at the Constitutional Court, when asked by reporters whether his view that the troops were victims had changed, Kim said, "If the troops suffered harm, I, as their commander, would take responsibility," and added, "If anyone is to be blamed, I think it would be Minister Kim Yong-hyun."
He also stated, "If Commander Kwak had been determined to act proactively, he might have arranged for helicopters to be deployed to the unit, but I think he responded passively out of consideration for his subordinates," adding, "If Commander Kwak had considered it an insurrection, he would not have ordered the deployment."
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