South Korean special forces troops train in Yongin, South Korea, March 7, 2024. (South Korean Defense Daily)
The South Korean commander whose special forces unit stormed the National Assembly building last week during an aborted attempt to impose martial law has urged the public to blame him, not his soldiers.
Col. Kim Hyun-tae, commander of the 707th Special Mission Group, assumed full responsibility for his unit’s actions overnight Dec. 3-4. Speaking Monday at a news conference in Seoul, Kim said he was “truly sorry to the public” for the events and was “especially sorry to our special forces soldiers who were deployed for the operation.”
Following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law late Dec. 3., roughly 200 troops deployed to the National Assembly grounds by helicopter and bus. Kim said he was one of the first troops to arrive on the scene and gave the order to break windows and enter the building.
Some of the soldiers were seen in video footage breaking into the building and blocking lawmakers from entering.
“The members of the unit are not guilty,” Kim said in an emotional speech. “If they are guilty, it is only that they followed the orders of an incompetent commander.”
Assembly members voted within hours to demand Yoon withdraw his declaration. A move to censure Yoon on Saturday failed narrowly when the ruling People Power Party legislators boycotted the vote.
Kim on Monday recalled receiving a call from the Special Warfare Command at about 10:30 p.m., a few minutes after Yoon’s declaration. The command ordered him to immediately deploy to the National Assembly and prevent parliament convening if it exceeded 150 lawmakers, Kim said.
Images protesting President Yoon Suk Yeol are displayed outside the National Assembly building in Seoul, South Korea, Dec. 5, 2024. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes)
The assembly needed at least 150 votes, half the assembly, to veto Yoon’s declaration. All 190 members who managed to get inside the chamber that night voted against martial law.
Kim said he was not fully apprised of the situation at the time and did not know that lawmakers had the right to convene. Not knowing the full details was “also my responsibility,” he said.
Kim also described his unit as “unfortunate victims who were exploited” by former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun, who resigned Wednesday amid calls for his impeachment. He was arrested four days later and is being investigated by Seoul prosecutors for his role in the martial law declaration.
In his final statement to the South Korean military on Wednesday, Kim Yong-hyun said he felt responsible “for causing confusion and concern to the public.”
“All soldiers who performed their duties … followed the minister’s instructions and all responsibility lies with me,” said the former defense minister.
Kim Hyun-tae said the Ministry of National Defense’s response following the incident and the scrutiny on his unit’s actions prompted him to speak out, he told reporters.
Troops he talked to following the Dec. 3-4 events said “they were all OK,” Kim said. “But they probably weren’t. As time goes on, I think they’ll have a hard time.”
“The unit members are exploited victims,” Kim said, with tears in his eyes. “They are the sons and daughters of [South Korea] … who have devoted their youth solely for the country and the people. Hate them, resent them, but please do not ever throw away the 707th and its members.”
