Acting defense minister says won’t obey any orders for martial law if issued again

The defense ministry and the military will not obey any orders to execute martial law should they be issued again, the acting defense minister said Friday, amid rumors over the possibility of another martial law declaration.

“Rumors that circulated this morning on signs of another martial law declaration are not true,” Acting Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho said in an emergency press briefing.

“Even if there is an order for martial law issuance, the defense ministry and the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) will never accept it,” Kim said.

His remarks came as main opposition lawmakers voiced concerns over such possibility after the civic group Center for Military Human Rights Korea raised the idea, claiming that multiple Army units were ordered to prepare for an emergency.

An Army official told reporters that no special orders have been issued to troops over moving outside of their respective units, adding it is in the process of verifying whether additional measures were taken.

President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law in an unexpected decision late Tuesday but subsequently lifted it hours later as the opposition-controlled National Assembly voted to reject it.

In the process, the military launched a martial law command, led by Army Gen. Park An-su, which proclaimed a decree banning all political activities while mobilizing special operations forces to enter the National Assembly compound.

Kim, the vice defense minister, took on the role of acting defense minister after former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, known to have proposed the martial law declaration to Yoon, resigned.

The acting minister apologized for causing concern over the martial law turmoil and vowed to closely cooperate with the prosecution on investigations surrounding the issue.

As part of such efforts, he issued orders banning the military and relevant institutions from discarding, concealing and manipulating documents on martial law and urging them to closely cooperate with probes led by the prosecution and the police.

Kim also said troops can only move with permission from the JCS chief.

The military will strive to protect the safety and daily lives of the people while maintaining a firm readiness posture, he added.

Lt. Gen. Kwak Jong-keun, chief of the Army Special Warfare Command, also refuted views of another martial law declaration earlier during talks with main opposition lawmakers, saying he will defy such an order should it happen.

Speaking in a parliamentary legislation and judiciary committee session later Friday, the acting defense minister said the ministry is reviewing whether to remove Counterintelligence Commander Yeo In-hyung from the post.

Kim made the remark in response to a request by a lawmaker asking the ministry to dismiss Yeo, who deployed the command’s troops and agents to the National Assembly and the national election watchdog after Yoon’s martial law order.