Mentioned to reporters during visit to Jeju
People Power Party and others deny as false information
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated on the 3rd that "there was a plan to massacre 5,000 to 10,000 citizens during the December 3 pro-government military coup."
After attending the 77th anniversary memorial ceremony for the April 3 victims held in Jeju, Lee met with reporters and said, "As the people have seen, the December 3 pro-government military coup (martial law) plan included a plan to massacre about 5,000 to 10,000 citizens," adding, "For his own safety, for that insignificant honor and power, he tried to annihilate thousands, tens of thousands of universes."
Prior to this statement, Lee said, "Although it is the season when flowers bloom, April 3 is always a sad day. It was the first incident in which martial law was declared by the government of the Republic of Korea," and added, "Nearly 30,000 people, equivalent to one-tenth of Jeju residents, were killed by the guns and knives entrusted by the people without committing any wrongdoing or knowing the reason." He continued, "Because the massacre of citizens committed under martial law was not punished, the massacre under martial law continued in May 1980, and the responsibility for this was also not fully addressed, leading to the absurd situation where military rule under martial law was dreamed of again."
Lee’s remarks are presumed to refer to a previous broadcast report that revealed the military’s inquiry into purchasing paper coffins and urns, raising suspicions that "around the time of President Yoon’s declaration of martial law, the military might have been preparing for a large number of casualties."
On the same day, Democratic Party lawmaker Jang Kyung-tae pointed out during a current affairs inquiry, "(The military) had about 1,800 urns, then about 4,900 in December 2024, and ordered an additional 3,000 right after the release of Yoon Seok-yeol, the ringleader of the rebellion," adding, "There are concerns that such an excessive purchase of urns might indicate a 'second martial law'." In response, Kim Seon-ho, acting Minister of National Defense, said, "There is absolutely no truth to anything related to martial law," and explained, "It should be understood as securing wartime reserves."
Regarding Lee’s remarks, both the People Power Party and President Yoon Seok-yeol’s legal team refuted the claims. Joo Jin-woo, chairman of the People Power Party’s legal advisory committee, said, "Lee spread false information that there was a plan to massacre 10,000 citizens at the time of the martial law declaration," and added, "Spreading provocative and clear falsehoods a day before the presidential impeachment ruling is judged as a malicious attempt to overturn the dismissal of the impeachment." He further stated, "The People Power Party’s legal advisory committee will take strong legal actions, including criminal charges, against Lee’s dissemination of false information."
President Yoon’s legal team also said, "This is a story not even found in the prosecution’s indictment, which was almost like fiction," and added, "There is no plan to massacre citizens in any investigation records from law enforcement agencies."
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