A senior South Korean military commander has testified in court that he was asked how to cut electricity to parliament during last year’s failed martial law attempt by impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Colonel Kim Hyun-tae, the leader of the country’s elite 707th Special Mission Group, revealed in a hearing at the Constitutional Court on Thursday that his superior officer, former Special Warfare Command Chief, General Kwak Jong-keun, inquired whether troops could storm the parliament building using “tasers and blank ammunition.”
“I told him it was not feasible,” Kim stated.
Kim was responsible for overseeing special forces troops deployed to prevent lawmakers from voting down Yoon’s surprise martial law order on December 3, 2024.
The decree, which suspended civilian rule and sent soldiers to parliament, plunged the country into political turmoil.
Yoon, who was arrested and suspended from office in mid-January on insurrection charges, remained emotionless in court, occasionally closing his eyes as he listened to the damning testimony.
He defended his decision to declare martial law, arguing it was necessary to “safeguard constitutional order” from what he called “anti-state elements.”
However, his attempt to hold onto power lasted just six hours before opposition lawmakers successfully defied the military’s intervention.
Reports from the trial indicate that parliamentary staff blocked special forces soldiers from entering the assembly by barricading doors with chairs and desks.
Kim testified that General Kwak asked him, “Is there any way to get in, such as by shutting down the power?” in a bid to prevent lawmakers from securing a quorum to nullify the decree.
Yoon has denied ordering military commanders to physically remove lawmakers from parliament. However, General Kwak directly contradicted this claim, testifying that Yoon had indeed instructed him to extract MPs to block the vote.
The Constitutional Court is now deliberating whether to uphold Yoon’s impeachment. If confirmed, South Korea will hold a by-election within 60 days to elect a new president.
Meanwhile, Yoon remains in detention as part of a separate criminal probe into his actions, marking the first time in the country’s history that a sitting president has been arrested.
South Korea’s top commander testifies against Yoon in impeachment trial
