Yoon: “Nothing actually happened… feels like chasing after the moon’s reflection on a lake”
Kim Jae-seop: “What about armed soldiers entering the National Assembly… it’s not an illusion but a reality”
Kim Jong-hyuk: “It was a failed outcome, not a plan to fail, was it?”
Kim Geun-sik: “Even an attempt with intent constitutes rebellion… a need for self-reflection”
President Yoon Suk-yeol claimed that “nothing happened” regarding the December 3 martial law, describing the situation as “chasing after a reflection of the moon on a lake.” However, within the People Power Party, there was criticism labeling his remarks as irresponsible, mentioning the actual experiences on the day of martial law.
Representative Kim Jae-seop, part of the party leadership, pointed this out on SBS Radio’s “Kim Tae-hyun’s Political Show,” stating that armed soldiers entering the National Assembly on the day was not “nothing.” He recalled how obstacles made from parliamentary furniture were set up at the main entrance to prevent the military from entering, and that broken chairs were piled up in a storage room. He questioned how anyone could say nothing happened.
Previously, President Yoon had claimed during the 5th hearing of his impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court that, despite nothing happening, the discussion around martial law felt like chasing a reflection of the moon on a lake.
Kim reiterated his memories of climbing over the National Assembly walls to vote on a resolution to lift martial law, during which soldiers entered the Assembly, helicopters flew over, and windows were shattered. These were all factual occurrences, he emphasized, even if the martial law did not achieve its intended purpose.
Kim further analyzed that President Yoon’s ‘reflection of the moon’ comment was perhaps an attempt to intimidate witnesses or to imply that it was merely a ‘warning martial law.’ However, since the whole nation witnessed the proclamation and the military entering the Assembly, his words sounded empty.
Kim Jong-hyuk, a former top committee member from the friendly faction, also dismissed the president’s claim that ‘nothing happened’ as illogical, noting that the short duration of martial law wasn’t due to the will of the president or martial forces but because lawmakers broke through to make resolutions, and citizens fiercely resisted.
He added that stating, “I attempted martial law to fail” or “to enlighten” is inconsistent as the initial intent wasn’t to fail, making it hard to logically justify the president’s comments.
Kim Geun-sik, head of the Songpa-byeong party association, also criticized the president’s remarks on Channel A’s “Political Signal,” interpreting them as if he was saying, “Yes, I imposed martial law, broke into the main building’s windows, but no one was arrested. Why all the fuss when nothing was actually executed?”
He pointed out that rebellion is constituted by mere intent and attempt, urging citizens to recall when Unified Progressive Party lawmaker Lee Seok-ki was arrested and the party dissolved, highlighting the gravity of mere intention in rebellion cases.
Ahn Cheol-soo also expressed disapproval on CBS Radio’s “Park Jae-hong’s Decision,” confirming that sending troops to the National Assembly was unconstitutional and justified his vote for the impeachment proposal against President Yoon.