Bahk Eun-ji has been with The Korea Times since 2012, building a career across multiple desks. She began at the Business Desk, where she conducted in-depth interviews with key figures in Korea's corporate world. Later, she moved to the Politics & City Desk, focusing on education policy and social affairs. She later served as team leader of the digital content team, leading curation efforts on the newspaper’s homepage and reshaping print stories for social media audiences to enhance digital reach. Now back on the Politics Desk, she covers the National Assembly and the Ministry of National Defense, with a renewed focus on political developments.
President rejects blanket punishment for troops mobilized for martial law
President Lee Jae Myung, alongside defense ministry and military officials, salutes the national flag during a policy briefing at the Ministry of National Defense headquarters in Seoul's Yongsan District, Thursday. The ministry pledged a sweeping personnel overhaul and institutional reforms, expressing deep remorse for its involvement in former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law declaration last December and vowing to never again be used as a tool for unlawful rule. Joint Press Corps
By Bahk Eun-ji
Military vows not to be used again in imposing martial law
Korea’s military pledged Thursday that it would never again be used as a president's tool to impose martial law.
The pledge came after a policy briefing by the Ministry of National Defense with President Lee Jae Myung. The ministry outlined measures aimed at preventing any recurrences of the martial law incident that plunged the country into political and social turmoil last year. When former President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law last December, troops were mobilized to the National Assembly to block lawmakers from voting to lift the decree.
“Our military offers a deep and painful reflection on its involvement in the illegal martial law of Dec. 3, 2024, which caused national confusion and damaged the constitutional order,” Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said during a press briefing following the report. “We will ensure that the armed forces are never again consumed or exploited as a tool of illegal martial law.”
He added that the ministry would pursue sweeping institutional reforms while maintaining full-spectrum defense readiness.
“We will strengthen democratic and institutional oversight of the military by overhauling laws, systems and education,” he said, adding that the reforms would be carried out through a special investigation headquarters and a task force dedicated to upholding constitutional principles.
According to Ahn, the government plans to complete revisions to key military laws, including those governing soldiers’ duties and rights, and to restructure military intelligence agencies by the end of next year. The changes would spell out soldiers’ obligation to defend the Constitution and make clear that they have the right to refuse unlawful orders.
As to punishment for those involved in Yoon's martial law fiasco, the president rejected what he described as unfair, across-the-board punishment. He said accountability must be handled on a case-by-case basis.
“Punishing everyone together is not appropriate,” the president said during the nationally televised policy briefing. He stressed that responsibility should be determined according to facts and individual roles rather than collective blame.
Lee said that restoring public trust would require holding those responsible to account. While acknowledging the gravity of the incident, he cautioned against measures that could undermine morale or institutional stability within the military.
The ministry said the reform package is designed to reinforce the military’s political neutrality and reaffirm civilian control — principles that have taken on renewed urgency in the wake of the martial law crisis.
“Our objective is unmistakable,” Ahn said. “We will carry out these priority tasks without delay to rebuild a military that the public can trust — strong in capability, professional in conduct and unwavering in its commitment to constitutional values.”