Former President Yoon Suk-yeol told then-Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun "I told you to arrest them" and said martial law could be declared "two or three times" after the December 3 emergency martial law was lifted, a witness testified Wednesday.
The witness, identified only as "A" to protect their identity by court order, testified at the Seoul Central District Court during the ongoing trial of former Defense Minister Kim and others on charges of participating in key duties related to insurrection. The witness, believed to be a field-grade officer who worked at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, previously testified at a military trial and gave testimony from behind a partition.
A said they returned to the JCS around 11 p.m. on December 3 and found Kim and former Army Chief of Staff Park An-su in the underground combat control room.
"Former Army Chief Park and National Police Agency Commissioner Cho Ji-ho had a phone conversation about the need to reinforce troops at the National Assembly," A testified. The witness then moved to the operations conference room and watched the situation unfold on TV as troops were being deployed to the National Assembly.
With few people remaining in the operations conference room, A moved to the decision support room within the combat control room at around 1:17 a.m. on December 4. There, A witnessed former President Yoon telling Kim, "Excuses. I told you to arrest them," and "We can just do it again."
The exchange came after the National Assembly passed a resolution to lift martial law at around 1:03 a.m. on December 4, with Yoon apparently pressing Kim over the failure.
During cross-examination by defense attorneys, A added: "I didn't hear exactly 'we can just do it again,' but I do remember him saying 'we can do it two or three times.'"
A also testified to hearing Yoon raise his voice at Kim, telling him to "arrest them." However, when the special counsel team asked whether Yoon questioned Kim about how many troops were deployed to the National Assembly, A said: "Things were so hectic at the time that I only remember words that made a strong impact."
The court will continue witness examinations on June 11 with Colonel Kim Yong-gun, military police commander of the Third Army Command, former Defense Intelligence Command chief Noh Sang-won, and former Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Commissioner Kim Bong-sik.
