Yoon Suk-yeol’s martial law move planned for months, South Korean intel commander claims

Yoon Suk-yeol, frustrated by his party’s electoral defeat, repeatedly discussed martial law with aides, despite their warnings, Yeo In-hyung said

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South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks at the presidential office in Seoul, South Korea on December 12. Photo: South Korea Presidential Office/AP

Published: 3:00pm, 12 Dec 2024Updated: 3:15pm, 12 Dec 2024

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s failed attempt to impose martial law was not a spontaneous decision, but had been planned for months following his ruling conservative party’s electoral defeat in April, according to participants in the attempted self-coup.

Commander Yeo In-hyung of the Defence Counter-intelligence Command told prosecutors investigating the incident on Wednesday that Yoon frequently mentioned “martial law” in private conversations throughout the summer after the ruling People Power Party (PPP) secured only 108 of 300 seats in the National Assembly.

The result left opposition parties just eight seats shy of the two-thirds majority required to initiate impeachment proceedings.

“I thought the president was talking about martial law as an angry reaction to the political situation,” Yeo told prosecutors investigating the December 3 martial law incident.

However, he added, “The idea was not accompanied by any concrete plans on how to implement it.”

President Yoon Seok-yeol (right) with Yeo In-hyung, commander of the Armed Forces Counter-intelligence Command, Photo: Korea Presidential Press Corps

“I told him several times that it’s impossible,” Yeo said, explaining that martial law is reserved for extreme crises such as war.