Democratic Party Mobilizing All Means to Protect Lee Jaemyung... Special Forces Also Under Review

Boo Seungchan of the Terror Response Task Force for Candidate Lee
"Reports Received of Activities Centered on Special Forces Veterans"

Boo Seungchan, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party and a member of the Terror Response Task Force (TF) for Lee Jaemyung, the Democratic Party's presidential candidate, emphasized, "The credibility and specificity of the tips related to assassination and terrorism are significant."

On May 15, during his appearance on SBS's "Kim Taehyun's Political Show," Boo said, "Rationally, it is hard to imagine that there would actually be a terrorist attempt, but we are responding as a preventive measure." He continued, "We cannot just sit by and do nothing, and we cannot rely solely on police protection, so we formed the Terror Response TF." He added, "Although attempted terrorism itself is not something that can be fact-checked, there is a lot of information coming from the National Intelligence Service."

Boo Seungchan, Democratic Party lawmaker and member of the Terror Response Task Force (TF) for Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate. Photo by Asia Economy DB

Previously, the Democratic Party claimed that there had been a tip-off that a specialized sniper rifle had been smuggled in targeting Lee. Regarding this, Boo explained, "It is a Russian-made sniper rifle with an effective range of 2 to 3 kilometers. The presidential candidate is not provided with the highest level 'A-class' close and distant protection like the president, but rather with 'B-class' close-range protection, which makes long-distance security difficult. Measures such as installing bulletproof glass are being discussed."

When asked by the host whether the 'HID Special Forces'?who were suspected of being on standby during the 12·3 Martial Law incident?were involved, Boo replied, "We are checking the special forces' training status and firearm issuance status on a daily basis."

HID stands for Headquarters of Intelligence Detachment, and the HID special forces are known as top-secret agents specializing in missions such as infiltration into North Korea and assassination of key figures. Boo, who is a former military officer, also served as the head of an HID operations team during his active duty. He raised suspicions about HID agents' involvement during the martial law incident at a National Assembly Defense Committee meeting.

Regarding this, Boo explained, "Snipers are a very small minority even within special forces, and it appears that all special forces members have now returned. However, there are reports that activities centered around OB (veteran) members continue, so we are preparing for the worst-case scenario in our security measures."

He further emphasized, "Rather than focusing solely on the possibility of a 2-kilometer sniper attack, we are also concerned about close-range attacks, such as the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. We are preparing for the worst-case scenario and mobilizing every possible means and method."