Kwak Jonggeun: "Yoon ordered, 'Bring Han Donghoon and others to me'"
Testifies, "He said, 'I will kill them even if I have to shoot them'"
People Power Party spokesperson: "A joke often made among friends"
Lee Junwoo, media spokesperson for the People Power Party, responded to recent courtroom testimony claiming that former President Yoon Sukyeol stated, "I will kill them even if I have to shoot them," while naming former People Power Party leader Han Donghoon and some politicians about two months before the declaration of the December 3 Martial Law last year. Lee explained that such remarks are often made jokingly among friends.
Former President Yoon Sukyeol (right) is shaking hands with former People Power Party leader Han Donghoon for a commemorative photo. Presidential Office
Appearing on YTN Radio's "Kim Junwoo's News Jeongmyeonseungbu" on the 3rd, spokesperson Lee commented on the courtroom testimony of former Army Special Warfare Command Commander Kwak Jonggeun, saying, "We often say things like this among friends. Even if we don't mention guns, people sometimes say things like, 'You're really dead,' don't they?"
He added, "Such remarks are quite common. Even neighbors say things like that when arguing. Sometimes it's said as a joke, even during actual fights, so it should be completely distinguished from the context in which it was made." He emphasized, "Since the President has already made his position clear, we should focus on that and further examine the facts."
Lee continued, "If (former Commander Kwak) made such statements during the investigation, they would have been more specific according to the six Ws and one H. But if he made them spontaneously in the courtroom, as if tossing them out, then a process to verify the facts is necessary." He also said, "If he finds himself in a disadvantageous or cornered position, he might fabricate things or add emotional color to his statements to defend himself."
Former President Yoon Sukyeol (left) is walking while conversing with former People Power Party leader Han Donghoon. Presidential Office
Previously, former Commander Kwak appeared as a witness at the trial for former President Yoon Sukyeol, who is charged with leading a rebellion, at the Seoul Central District Court the previous day. Kwak claimed that after the Armed Forces Day event on October 1 last year, Yoon, during a drinking gathering, named Han Donghoon and some politicians and said, "Bring them to me. I will kill them even if I have to shoot them."
Kwak stated, "Until now, I never mentioned this to the prosecution. I only testified that Han Donghoon was mentioned." He continued, "If former President Yoon had not just brought it up, I would not have mentioned it until the end, but since he did, I will tell you the rest. In the context of that conversation, there was also talk about emergency powers." This was in response to former President Yoon's claim that the dinner gathering was not prearranged, saying, "That was not the kind of situation for discussing national affairs, was it?"
In response, former People Power Party leader Han Donghoon expressed his feelings on Facebook on the 3rd, stating, "I am devastated and deeply distressed." Han shared a news article about the alleged remarks by former President Yoon and commented, "Around October 1 last year, as the ruling party leader, I was privately requesting former President Yoon to resolve the medical crisis, to rein in unofficial aides to First Lady Kim Keonhee, and to appoint a special inspector reflecting public sentiment toward Mrs. Kim."
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