Controversy has arisen following allegations that a senior official at the Coast Guard Headquarters advocated for arming personnel and dispatching investigators to the Martial Law Command during the declaration of the December 3 Martial Law last year. The Coast Guard has denied the claims, stating they are untrue, while the Democratic Party of Korea has called for a thorough investigation.
On August 14, the Coast Guard stated, "Reports claiming that Director of Planning and Coordination Ahn Seongsik ordered frontline officers to arm themselves and insisted at an emergency meeting chaired by the Commissioner that investigative personnel be immediately dispatched to the Martial Law Command during the December 3 Martial Law are not true."
The Coast Guard explained, "It is true that, prior to a nationwide video conference of commanders on the day martial law was declared, Director Ahn mentioned the possibility of officers carrying firearms to protect police stations and considered dispatching investigative personnel if a joint investigation unit were formed, during a meeting with several senior officials. However, no actions were taken based on these discussions."
Director Ahn is regarded as the third-ranking official in the Coast Guard, following the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner. He is an alumnus of Chungam High School, the same as former President Yoon Suk-yeol. In March 2022, while serving as head of the Criminal Affairs Division at headquarters, he became the first Coast Guard officer to be dispatched to the Presidential Transition Committee, drawing attention. After President Yoon took office, Ahn also worked in the National Situation Room at the Presidential Office.
The Coast Guard stated that, immediately after former President Yoon declared the December 3 Martial Law, a nationwide video conference of commanders was convened to strengthen maritime security and ensure public safety.
It was reported that Director Ahn made the controversial remarks in a meeting without the Commissioner, before the video conference. During this process, when Director Ahn advocated for dispatching investigative personnel, the then-head of investigations at the Coast Guard reportedly objected, questioning, "Why are you involving the Criminal Affairs Bureau in this?"
In response, the Democratic Party of Korea has called for a thorough investigation into allegations that a senior Coast Guard official was involved with the Martial Law Command. Baek Seung-ah, floor spokesperson for the Democratic Party, stated at a National Assembly briefing, "If the media reports are true, this constitutes a serious criminal act that goes beyond mere official cooperation and amounts to active participation in illegal martial law. The excuse that Director Ahn was merely making a suggestion based on his knowledge of martial law is unconvincing."
She continued, "If a Coast Guard official ordered personnel to arm themselves and attempted to involve the Coast Guard in illegal martial law, this would be an anti-constitutional crime that betrays the duty to uphold the Constitution. As these suspicions cannot be dismissed as an individual's misconduct, we urge the special prosecutor to conduct a thorough investigation, including whether the official had prior knowledge of the martial law declaration."
Meanwhile, regarding the dispatch of a liaison officer to the Martial Law Command after the National Assembly passed a resolution demanding the lifting of martial law, the Coast Guard explained, "This was done in accordance with operational regulations of the Martial Law Command, following a request from the Joint Chiefs of Staff. At that time, one police officer with the rank of inspector was dispatched as a government liaison."
The Coast Guard added, "The Martial Law Act stipulates that, unless there are special circumstances, requests for liaison officers must be complied with. The dispatched liaison officer arrived at the Joint Chiefs of Staff parking lot at 3:36 a.m. on December 4, but since the situation had already been resolved, he returned immediately."
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