Defense ministry had plan to quell candlelit protests
By Lee Min-hyung
Choo Mi-ae, chairwoman of ruling Democratic Party of Korea
Ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Chairwoman Rep. Choo Mi-ae called for a thorough investigation into allegations the defense ministry had a plan to carry out an armed crackdown on protesters demanding the ouster of the scandal-ridden then-President Park Geun-hye last year.
“The Ministry of National Defense has to undergo a thorough internal investigation over reported documents that state the ministry planned to quell protesters by force,” Choo said Wednesday.
This came a day after Rep. Rhee Cheol-hee of the DPK unveiled the documents, saying former Defense Minister Han Min-koo ordered the ministry to consider using weapons to suppress protesters whose numbers surpassed 1 million at several weekend protests last year.
“This is a move denying the order of democracy,” Choo said. “Han should make public who asked him and the ministry to write the documents, as such a decision cannot be made solely by a defense minister.”
According to Rhee, the documents were written in February last year when the nationwide protest movement reached its peak. In March last year, the nation's Supreme Court removed Park from office due to her involvement in a series of corruption scandals ― such as alleged bribery and abuse of power. Last month, the prosecution sought a 30-year prison term for Park.
The Ministry of National Defense has yet to unveil a detailed explanation for the reported documents, saying it is reviewing them and will announce details as soon as possible.
Rhee said he is suspicious of why the ministry has written the documents, as they were written at a critical time when the country held nationwide rallies calling for then-President Park's impeachment.
“It is hard for me to interpret that the documents come with any goodwill,” Rhee said. “I have reasonable suspicion they were written under different contexts."