According to a summary of an indictment by the South Korean prosecutor's office, the currently suspended South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol authorized the military to fire if necessary to enter the National Assembly during the implementation of martial law. He had also discussed declaring martial law with senior military officers as early as March this year.
The document provided to media outlets is a 10-page summary based on the indictment of South Korea's former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun. It mentions that on the 3rd of this month, Yoon Suk-yeol vowed that if necessary, he would declare martial law a second or even a third time.
On the 3rd, when South Korean lawmakers rushed to the parliament to vote against Yoon Suk-yeol's martial law order, fully armed troops stormed into the National Assembly building. They climbed over fences, smashed windows, and some even landed on the parliament via helicopter.
According to the prosecutor’s indictment, Yoon Suk-yeol told the Capital Defense Commander Lee Jin-woo that if necessary, the army could shoot to enter the parliament.
The indictment states Yoon Suk-yeol told Lee Jin-woo: “Aren’t you inside yet? What are you doing? Break down the door and drag the people out, even if it means you have to shoot.”
It is alleged that Yoon Suk-yeol also instructed Army Special Forces Commander Kwak Jong-gun to “hurry into” the parliament as at that time, the required quorum for the martial law veto had not been reached inside the chamber.
The indictment quotes Yoon Suk-yeol saying: “Hurry into the parliament, bring the people inside the chamber out, use an axe to break the door if necessary, and drag everyone out.”
According to the content of the indictment, lawmakers returned to the chamber and passed a resolution to lift martial law with 190 votes to 0 in the early hours of the 4th. Yoon Suk-yeol then told Lee Jin-woo: “Even if martial law is lifted, I can declare it a second or a third time, so continue.”
The indictment also suggests there is evidence that Yoon Suk-yeol discussed declaring martial law with high-ranking officers as early as March this year.
However, Yoon Suk-yeol's lawyer dismissed the indictment's content, telling AFP that “this is merely a one-sided statement that neither aligns with the objective situation nor common sense.”