S. Korean commander involved in martial law says soldiers were ‘victims’ of ex-defence minister
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Soldiers leaving the National Assembly in Seoul on Dec 4, after South Korea's Parliament passed a motion requiring the martial law to be lifted.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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SEOUL – The commander of South Korea’s special forces that stormed Parliament last week
Colonel Kim Hyun-tae, the commanding officer of the 707th Special Missions Group, told reporters he took all responsibility for his troops’ raid on Parliament but said he was acting under orders from the then defence minister.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is now a subject of a criminal investigation, declared martial law on Dec 3, only to rescind the order within hours after Parliament met in defiance of a security cordon to vote it invalid.
Mr Yoon survived an impeachment vote in an opposition-led Parliament on Dec 7, which plunged South Korea into a constitutional crisis.
Mr Yoon said ahead of the vote that he was entrusting his fate to the ruling party but did not offer to resign.
Mr Kim said his unit landed on the grounds of Parliament with orders to cordon off the main building to prevent lawmakers from entering, but was faced with legislative staff inside who blocked their entrance.
“We were all victims who were used by the former defence minister, Kim Yong-hyun,” the commander told reporters outside the Defence Ministry in Seoul.
“The members of the group are not guilty. Their only guilt is that they followed the orders of their commander,” he said, fighting back tears.
The former defence minister was arrested on Dec 8 over his role in declaring martial law and ordering the deployment of troops to Parliament.
Mr Han Dong-hoon, the leader of Mr Yoon’s People Power Party, said on Dec 8 that the President would be excluded from foreign and other state affairs, and that the party and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo would manage government affairs.
National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik said it was unconstitutional to delegate presidential authority unless the President is impeached.
The main opposition Democratic Party, which led the failed impeachment motion on Dec 7, said it would raise the motion again. REUTERS
