On the Day of Martial Law, Cabinet Members Expressed Concerns and Tried to Dissuade Yoon

Lee Sang-min: "President Yoon said martial law would not last long"
Lee Sang-min and Han Duck-soo entered the presidential office to express opposition
"No Cabinet meeting minutes were prepared as the official in charge could not attend"

Former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min appeared as a witness in the impeachment trial of President Yoon Seok-yeol and revealed that he expressed concerns and objections to President Yoon before the declaration of the emergency martial law on December 3.

Former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min is explaining the reason for refusing to take the witness oath at the Special Committee on the National Investigation into the Charges of Insurrection through the Declaration of Martial Law by the Yoon Seok-yeol Administration, held at the National Assembly on the 4th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

On the 11th, former Minister Lee answered "Yes" to the question from President Yoon's side during the 7th hearing of the impeachment trial held at the Constitutional Court’s grand courtroom, asking whether he had conveyed objections before the martial law declaration. Regarding the situation of the Cabinet meeting when he arrived at the presidential office before the martial law declaration, he responded to the question, "Did President Yoon say at 8:30 p.m. on the day of the martial law declaration that 'the martial law will not last long'?" by saying, "It is a matter of expression, but I think he said it would 'not last long' rather than 'not be long.'"

He also testified that he conveyed his objection to the martial law to President Yoon. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo also stated that he entered the presidential office two or three times and spoke with President Yoon. He testified, "After the 11 Cabinet members gathered, President Yoon came back dressed formally, and we (the Cabinet members) spoke with the intention of dissuading the President," adding, "Then President Yoon said, 'I understand all the economic, diplomatic impacts and political burdens. I have thought about it carefully. However, the level of awareness, sense of crisis, and responsibility between the President and the Cabinet members are on a different dimension.'"

He continued, "It was not a session where each person took turns expressing support or opposition, but when some people spoke, most agreed and some added further comments."

He also testified about the background of why the minutes of the Cabinet meeting were not prepared. He said, "The official responsible for preparing the minutes from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety was unable to attend," and added, "After the martial law declaration, an atmosphere was created that preparing the minutes would be seen as supporting or abetting the emergency martial law, so they stopped preparing them."

Regarding the 'department' of the Cabinet meeting, President Yoon himself asked former Minister Lee. President Yoon said, "The department is for the President’s legal acts, not for the Cabinet meeting, right?" to which former Minister Lee replied, "Not at all."

Meanwhile, in response to a question from President Yoon’s side about whether he had received any prior instructions related to martial law, he answered, "Not at all."