The fall from grace of the defense minister

The commanders who were mobilized for the illegal martial law should be immediately removed from office to restore military discipline as soon as possible.

Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun is dubbed as the point man in the stunning and dangerous enforcement of martial law by President Yoon Suk Yeol a week ago. The president accepted the resignation of Kim a day after the failed martial order. Kim had been freed to walk away after rattling the country with the six-hour-long martial law experiment until he was detained by the prosecution on Sunday.

Kim, a one-year senior of Yoon of ChoongAm High School, said he had recommended the president to declare martial law according to the Martial Law Act. During a confirmation hearing on his nomination in September, Kim had vehemently rejected the theory about preparations for martial law as “false propaganda.” The main opposition party has speculated that Kim, who was in charge of presidential security in March last year, discussed the plot with military commanders coming from the same alma mater at the presidential residence. During the confirmation hearing, Kim snorted that the people would never condone martial law these days.

We must thoroughly examine how “false propaganda” became a reality and probe who had been involved. Yoon said the purpose of the declaration of martial law was to “root out antistate” forces plotting to cause social unrest. But the martial law decree destabilizing the National Assembly and banning political activities or assemblies goes directly against the Constitution.

The feckless martial law declaration has utterly demoralized the military. In a National Assembly hearing, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Park An-su, the martial law commander, said he had learned of the declaration upon watching the presidential address on TV. How could a third-ranking top brass learn of the martial law enforcement belatedly? Park handed in his resignation after lifting the declaration. Vice Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho admitted that his former boss ordered the deployment of the 707th Special Mission Group to the legislature. Kim has shaken the reputation and order of the military.

Although he vowed to take full responsibility of the martial law fiasco, Kim failed to show up at the National Assembly hearing on martial law night. After lifting the declaration, Kim said a battle cannot be won against overwhelming odds as if to imply regret over the failure of the mission. He could be bearing a dangerous disregard for the people and legislators. “I choose the hard path of justice over the easy path of injustice,” he said as if to justify his action. He should answer for the legal and historical accountability for carrying out his outdated and ill-guided notion of justice. The commanders who were mobilized for the illegal martial law should be immediately removed from office to restore military discipline as soon as possible.