"Martial Law Declaration Was Likely a Step to Install Kim Keon-hee as President," Claims Kim Yong-min of Ruling Party

Kim Yong-min Claims Kim Keon-hee Sought Presidency and Permanent Rule
"Kim Keon-hee's True Intention Was to Seize Power Herself"
"Yoon Couple Combined Chun Doo-hwan's Rebellion with State Affairs Manipulation"

A claim has emerged from the ruling party that former President Yoon Suk-yeol declared the December 3 Martial Law in order to install his wife, Kim Gun-hee, as the next president. On August 13, Kim Yong-min, a Democratic Party lawmaker and the ruling party's secretary on the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee, said in an interview with SBS Radio's "Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show," "In fact, Kim Gun-hee intended to become president, and I believe that was a major objective of the December 3 Rebellion. If the December 3 Martial Law and rebellion had succeeded, the next steps would have been the dissolution of the National Assembly, the establishment of an emergency legislative body, and constitutional amendments. All of this is detailed in Noh Sang-won's notebook."

Yoon Seokyeol, the former president's wife Kim Gunhee, is coming out after the detention hearing (warrant review) held at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 12th. Photo by Joint Press Corps

Referring to the audio recordings of Kim Gun-hee's phone calls released during the 20th presidential election, Representative Kim said, "She said, 'If I seize power, you won't be safe.' From that point on, she already had the intention of taking control. At the time, many people thought her words were simply extreme expressions, but now it is clear that Kim Gun-hee's true intention was to seize power herself."

Kim continued, "This is the same approach used during Chun Doo-hwan's era when the Fifth Republic was established. The steps I just mentioned were all implemented during the Fifth Republic. Yoon Suk-yeol has said he respects Chun Doo-hwan and called him the most competent president, so it appears he adopted the same method, with the ultimate goal of making Kim Gun-hee president and establishing permanent rule." He added, "The crimes committed by the Yoon Suk-yeol and Kim Gun-hee couple combine Chun Doo-hwan's rebellion and the government manipulation scandal under Park Geun-hye. The rebellion was Yoon Suk-yeol's doing, while the government manipulation was carried out by Kim Gun-hee. This was a matter that absolutely required detention."

He also identified the so-called "smoking gun" (direct evidence) that led to Kim Gun-hee's arrest, saying, "Although it was not one of the target crimes in the special prosecutor's detention warrant request, it appears to have been the confession letter from Seohee Construction Chairman Lee Bong-gwan." Kim Gun-hee has claimed that the necklace she wore during the 2022 NATO tour was a counterfeit purchased in Hong Kong in 2010. However, Lee is reported to have purchased the necklace and personally gave it to Kim Gun-hee at her home's basement restaurant shortly after the presidential election to congratulate her husband on his victory, and submitted a confession to the special prosecutor stating that he had also made a personnel request for his son-in-law.

The necklace was reportedly a key issue during Kim Gun-hee's pre-arrest detention hearing (warrant review). On August 12, Chief Judge Jeong Jae-wook, who is in charge of warrants at the Seoul Central District Court, asked Kim Gun-hee at the end of the approximately four-and-a-half-hour hearing, "Have you ever received the (Van Cleef & Arpels) necklace?" This was the first and only direct question from the judge. Kim Gun-hee is said to have answered directly, "I did not receive it." Kim Gun-hee, who is currently detained at Seoul Southern Detention Center, is scheduled to be questioned by the special prosecutor's team at KT Gwanghwamun Building West in Jongno-gu, Seoul, at 10 a.m. on August 14.