Yoon Says "Never Used the Term 'Inwon'"... But Used "Inwon" During Defense and in the Past

Gwak Jong-geun: "Ordered to Pull Out People Inside the National Assembly"

Former Army Special Warfare Command Commander Gwak Jong-geun testified that he received an order from President Yoon Seok-yeol to "pull out the people inside the National Assembly" immediately after the declaration of emergency martial law on December 3rd, but President Yoon denied ever using the term "people," sparking a dispute over the truth.

On the 6th, former Commander Gwak appeared as a witness at the 6th hearing of President Yoon's impeachment trial held at the Constitutional Court and answered "Exactly" to the question from the National Assembly's legal representatives, "Was the target President Yoon ordered to bring out at that time indeed members of the National Assembly?"

President Yoon Suk-yeol is speaking after listening to the testimony of former Army Special Warfare Command Commander Gwak Jong-geun, who appeared as a witness at the 6th hearing of President Yoon's impeachment trial held at the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul on February 6, 2025. Photo by the Constitutional Court

However, President Yoon claimed during the hearing that "he does not use the word 'people' instead of 'persons'." President Yoon said, "They say I used the word 'people,' but I have never used the word 'people' when I could have said 'persons' or 'members'."

President Yoon's legal team also issued a statement on the 7th emphasizing that President Yoon does not use the term "people" and that former Commander Gwak is shifting responsibility to avoid punishment. Yoon's side stated, "Gwak Jong-geun changed his statement regarding the meaning of the president ordering to pull out 'people,' saying 'the president never said the word members of the National Assembly, and he himself understood it as members of the National Assembly.' However, the president does not use the term 'people' for civilians."

However, it was confirmed that President Yoon has often used the term "people" not only in this hearing but also in the past. Even after stating in the hearing that he does not use the term "people," President Yoon was observed using the term multiple times, saying, "Through communication with Kim Hyun-tae, commander of the 707 Special Mission Unit, I knew well that there were about 15 to fewer than 20 people inside the National Assembly building, and that it was crowded outside as well as there were many people inside the seven-story building."

Additionally, on January 23rd last year, at the site of the fire at Seocheon Specialty Market, he used the term "people," saying, "'People' were not left behind, and since it happened in that state, it is a blessing in disguise." At a press conference held in May 2023 to mark the opening of Yongsan Children's Garden, he said, "If the number of 'people' is small, we can even cook kimchi stew," and at the National Safety System inspection meeting on November 7, 2022, he mentioned, "If many 'people' come, there might be accidents where people get trampled or something like that."