(Seoul=News1) Reporter Koo Yoon-sung – Lee Ha-sang, the attorney for Kim Yong-hyun, the former Minister of National Defense and a key suspect in the ‘December 3 Martial Law’ incident, held a press conference at the Korea Conference Center in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the morning of the 26th to convey Kim’s position.
The defense team for former Minister Kim Yong-hyun claimed on the 26th that although a curfew clause for the public was included in the draft of the martial law proclamation written by Kim, President Yoon Suk-yeol ordered its removal.
At the press conference held at the Korea Conference Center in Seocho-gu, Seoul, Kim’s attorney Yoo Seung-soo stated, “Former Minister Kim indeed drafted the initial version,” noting that “Kim wrote most of the content, and the President reviewed and made some modifications.”
Attorney Yoo explained, “Martial law typically includes curfews for the public, and such content was in the draft written by former Minister Kim,” but emphasized that “the President ordered the deletion, stressing that the purpose was to sound an alarm to the National Assembly and that it was not directed at the general public.”
Regarding the background of the martial law declaration, Yoo said, “It was intended to warn against the political abuses of the National Assembly, to address public suspicions about election management, and to clear out pro-North Korean and anti-state forces operating in various parts of society to pass on a free Republic of Korea to future generations.”
He also argued that charges of rebellion against President Yoon and former Minister Kim do not hold.
Attorney Yoo asserted, “It is a clear fact that only the minimum necessary measures were taken to achieve the purpose of the martial law proclamation, and that it was lawfully lifted,” adding, “Even with the number of troops deployed, it was not possible to fully control the National Assembly, and in reality, only the minimum number of troops were used.”