Testimony in Treason Trial: "Received Orders to Arrest 14 People... Believed It Was for Political Purposes"

"Wrote Down and Delivered the 'Lee Jaemyung, Han Donghoon Arrest' Orders"
Testimony Supports Military-to-Police Command for Arrest Squad

Regarding the operation of the emergency martial law 'politician arrest squad,' Gu Min-hoe, head of the counterintelligence investigation division who was on the working-level line, testified in court that "a counterintelligence officer called out the arrest list, which I wrote down and then passed on to Lee Hyun-il, the investigation planning chief of the National Investigation Headquarters (police)." This testimony contradicts the claims of former President Yoon Seok-yeol's side, who dismissed the operation of the politician arrest squad as a "blatant lie."

The Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 25 (Presiding Judge Ji Gwi-yeon) held the fourth trial on the charges of high-ranking police officials' involvement in an important mission related to rebellion on the 16th. Gu, who appeared as a witness, was the person who served as the communication channel through which orders to operate the 'politician arrest squad' were passed from the military to the police.

Testimony Supporting Circumstances of Military→Police Arrest Squad Orders

During the witness examination, Gu stated, "(Investigation Chief Kim Dae-woo) said there would be 100 police officers and 100 personnel from the investigation headquarters, so he told me to call and check how they would come, and additionally to check detention facilities. The arrest list was called out directly, and we wrote it down."

Gu revealed that he passed this information to former Investigation Planning Chief Lee Hyun-il of the National Investigation Headquarters. He said that during a phone call with Lee, he heard that 100 investigators were coming, so he asked, "Please let me know the list of how they are coming," and "Please support escort vehicles," and they discussed these matters.

The prosecution suspects that Investigation Chief Kim's orders were relayed through Gu to Lee Hyun-il, then to former Investigation Planning Coordinator Yoon Seung-young of the National Police Agency's National Investigation Headquarters, and finally to Commissioner Cho Ji-ho. Gu's testimony on this day supports the circumstances that the arrest squad operation orders were passed as 'Kim Dae-woo → Gu Min-hoe → Lee Hyun-il.'

When the prosecution asked Gu whether he questioned the legality of the instructions, he replied, "I initially raised doubts," adding, "Even in a martial law situation, arbitrary arrests cannot be made, so I asked about the charges and whether warrants had been issued, and instructed to consult the legal office."

"Questioned Legality of Arrests, Thought It Was a Politically Motivated Arrest"

When asked whether the list included former Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik, former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon, former Jo Guk Innovation Party leader Cho Guk, former Supreme Court Chief Justice Kim Myung-soo, broadcaster Kim Eo-jun, Democratic Party floor leader Park Chan-dae, and National Assembly Judiciary Committee Chairman Jung Cheong-rae, Gu answered, "Yes." He further explained, "Within my knowledge, the entire list of 14 people was not called out at once; five investigators formed one team and were assigned tasks accordingly. For example, Team 1 was Lee Jae-myung, Team 2 was Han Dong-hoon, and so on."

However, Gu said, "The contents of the proclamation order were quite vague regarding the prohibition of political activities, so I personally thought the arrests were politically motivated." He testified that while doubting the legality of the arrest instructions, after the proclamation order was issued, he wrote notes such as 'strange' and 'not allowed without a warrant.'

Meanwhile, the existence of the politician arrest squad list is a major reason for the impeachment of former President Yoon and a key issue in his criminal trial on rebellion charges. If the attempted arrests of opposition party leaders and the National Assembly Speaker are recognized as an effort to obstruct the National Assembly's resolution to lift martial law, the rebellion charges will be strengthened.