A recently made public audio tape has caused fury in South Korea, as this tape shows how President Yoon Suk Yeol allegedly ordered commanders of the country’s military forces to forcefully send lawmakers out from the National Assembly during a failed martial law imposition late last December.
Audio, leaked by a special investigation team Saturday, reveals military officers discussing orders to “drag out” parliamentarians and to physically stop them from overturning Yoon’s controversial martial law declaration. The file contains voices of military personnel detailing how they tried to breach the National Assembly building. One officer said that he had managed to break through the back door and entered the chamber but received stiff resistance as lawmakers tried to vote on the motion.
After this exposure, prosecutors indicted Army Chief of Staff Gen. Park An-su and Lt. Gen. Kwak Jong-keun, head of the Army Special Warfare Command, on charges of insurrection. Both generals, with other defense officials, stand accused of misusing their prerogatives to fuel Yoon’s martial law push.
The investigation also exposed memos from a Special Warfare Command officer’s phone, which indicated that former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun and others had issued instructions to prevent parliament from lifting the martial law. One of the documents revealed an order to delete records of communication to conceal the actions taken during this turbulent period.
The new revelations are part of an ongoing probe into the events surrounding Yoon’s martial law declaration on December 3. The investigation has intensified after a tense standoff between the investigative team and Yoon’s security personnel led to the suspension of a previously planned arrest warrant against the president.
This new scandal has deepened the political crisis, casting a shadow over Yoon’s leadership and raising serious questions about the abuse of power within his administration.
