Regarding the Power Cut Suspicion After the Martial Law Lift Resolution
"We Didn't Even Know What 'Adoption' Meant"
Kim Hyun-tae, commander of the Army Special Warfare Command 707 Special Mission Group, said on the 17th regarding the suspicion that the 707 Special Mission Unit attempted to cut power on the basement first floor of the National Assembly main building during the December 3 emergency martial law, “(Commander Gwak Jong-geun) received a call from President Yoon Seok-yeol around 0:30 on December 4, and it was one of several ideas he himself came up with to do something.”
Kim Hyuntae, Commander of the 707 Special Mission Group of the Army Special Warfare Command, is taking the witness oath at the 6th hearing of President Yoon Seok-yeol's impeachment trial held at the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul on February 6, 2025. Photo by the Constitutional Court
On the same day, Kim appeared as a witness at the National Assembly National Defense Committee’s urgent questioning session held solely by the ruling party, and in response to a question from Seong Il-jong, a People Power Party member (Chairman of the National Defense Committee), asking whether there was an order from President Yoon regarding the power cut, he stated, “There was absolutely no order from President Yoon concerning the power cut.”
Regarding the point that the power cut attempt occurred after the National Assembly held a plenary session and passed a resolution to lift the emergency martial law, Kim explained, “I was unaware of the National Assembly’s resolution and understood it as an order necessary for the mission to block and secure the National Assembly.”
He also explained in response to a question from Yoon Sang-hyun, a People Power Party lawmaker, “The members of the 707 Special Mission Unit and I did not even know if there was a procedure such as the passage of the (emergency martial law lift) resolution, and even if we spoke, it was a situation where they could not understand. We purely carried out the mission assigned to us to block and secure the building.”
Kim further said, “I momentarily forgot about the order to cut power and tried to block the underground passage connected to the main building. Then, recalling the power cut order late, around 1:06 a.m. on the 4th, I asked to check if there was a switch to turn off the power,” adding, “At that time, a National Assembly official informed us of the resolution’s passage, and around 1:07 a.m., I called Commander Gwak, received an order to withdraw, and at 1:08 a.m., I gave the withdrawal order.”
Kim added, “Even when the (switch) was turned off, the emergency lights automatically turned on, and although there was no night surveillance equipment, everyone in the basement was identified,” and “I think the power cut lasted about five minutes.”
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