South Korea’s military faces leadership void amid martial law probe
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Soldiers and military vehicles outside the National Assembly in Seoul after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on Dec 3.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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SEOUL - South Korea’s military is grappling with a deepening leadership void as commanders of key units are caught up in the sweeping investigation into President Yoon Suk Yeol’s Dec 3 martial law decree.
Prosecutors have sought arrest warrants for the accused generals, all of whom have been dismissed from their posts.
Lieutenant-General Lee Jin-woo, former head of the Capital Defence Command, and Lieutenant-General Kwak Jong-geun, former chief of the Special Warfare Command, appeared at a pre-trial detention hearing at the Central Regional Military Court in Yongsan, Seoul, on Dec 16, following the prosecution’s request for arrest warrants the previous day.
Both Lt-Gen Lee and Lt-Gen Kwak face charges related to their deployment of military personnel to the National Assembly on the night of the martial law.
Police detained Major-General Moon Sang-ho, former head of the Defence Intelligence Command, on Dec 15, also on charges related to ordering troops to the National Assembly.
On Dec 14, Lieutenant-General Yeo In-hyung, former chief of the Defence Counterintelligence Command was also arrested by the prosecution. He is accused of planning the martial law framework and deploying military personnel to state institutions on the night of the martial law.
The prosecution sought an arrest warrant on Dec 15 for General Park An-su, the former Army Chief of Staff, on charges of distributing the martial law decree and coordinating the plot with Mr Yoon on Dec 3.
The post of Army Chief of Staff has been vacant since the Defence Ministry suspended Gen Park from his duties on Dec 12, citing his inability to perform his role amid ongoing investigations into his involvement in the martial law declaration.
General Go Chang-jun, former chief of the Army 2nd Operations Command, has been appointed as the acting Army Chief of Staff.
However, the Defence Ministry on Dec 16 said that South Korea’s armed forces remain operational despite the leadership void, with duties handled by acting officials amid the suspension or detention of several high-ranking officers.
Mr Jeon Ha-kyu, the Defence Ministry’s spokesperson, said that their duties are being performed by acting officials under the coordination of Acting Defence Minister Kim Seon-ho – who took the role after former defence minister Kim Yong-hyun was arrested over allegations that he proposed the martial law plan to Mr Yoon.
To address growing concerns over security risks amid the expanding void in military leadership, the Joint Chiefs of Staff assured the public that systems for monitoring North Korean forces and responding to provocations remain unaffected, emphasising that the posts impacted by the martial law scandal are not directly relevant to such operations. THE KOREA HERALD/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK
