Former Army Special Warfare Commander Kwak Jong-geun reportedly gave orders to his subordinates dispatched to the National Assembly during the December 3 Martial Law to “break down doors to drag out lawmakers if necessary” and “cut off electricity if needed,” claiming these were directives from the President.
The commander of the 1st Airborne Brigade of the Special Warfare Command, Lee Sang-hyun, testified today (the 21st) at the fourth hearing of the National Assembly’s Special Committee for the Investigation of the Insurrection, stating that Kwak gave him such orders via a secure phone call between 12:50 AM and 1:00 AM on December 4 last year.
Brigade Commander Lee explained, “A soldier is expected to mechanically repeat important orders from a superior.” He recounted, “I asked, ‘Are you saying that the President gave such instructions?’ and received a hesitant ‘Yes’ before the call ended.”
He added that his staff in the vehicle heard the call and that when a call from the battalion commander came at the end of his conversation, he repeated, “The President gave these instructions,” which was later confirmed through a recorded investigation.
Ahn Hyo-young, the operational staff officer of the 1st Airborne Special Forces Brigade, who was in the vehicle at the time, confirmed the statements when asked by Democratic Party lawmaker Baek Hye-ryeon, saying, “I don’t remember the exact wording, but I remember the phrase ‘the President’s instructions’ because it left an impact.”
Brigade Commander Lee further noted, “Afterwards, I conveyed the President’s instructions to the battalion commander, although it was somewhat disconcerting.” Realizing the potential political implications, he ordered the troops back outside the building.
Upon returning to the base, he instructed, “Do not alter the situation log; any changes after this time will result in punishment for document forgery for the staff involved,” and recorded the details of the event in a notebook, submitting it during the prosecution’s investigation.
Additionally, on the same day, Anti-espionage Division Chief Kim Young-kwon testified that he witnessed former Commander Kwak receiving instructions from President Yoon via phone during martial law.
He recalled, “I became suspicious when I saw the commander receiving a phone call with some tension, and asked an official next to me, hearing the term ‘Code One’,” which is commonly known to refer to VIPs or the President in the military.
Baek Hye-ryeon asked, “Does ‘Code One’ typically refer to the VIP or the President in the military?” to which Kim replied, “That is my understanding.” He added that while he doesn’t remember exactly due to the seriousness of the situation, Kwak appeared more rigid than usual during the call, citing Kwak’s verbal exchanges, “Yes, yes, I will proceed.”
In response, Nam Gi-dong, the Special Forces Inspection Director, confirmed the call Kwak received with a salute and commented, “While the Special Forces salute is ‘Unity,’ he seemed flustered and might have said ‘Loyalty,’ indicating the call was likely from someone senior, possibly a minister or above.”