Police records reveal tense night of martial law deployment
Police and martial law troops are surrounded by citizens at the National Assembly in Seoul, Dec. 4, after the National Assembly passed a resolution to lift President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration from the previous day. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
At least 3,700 police officers were mobilized to the National Assembly and Yongsan during the Dec. 3 martial law imposition, according to police duty logs acquired by an opposition party lawmaker Wednesday.
The emergency mobilization ordered all personnel from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency to report for duty, including off-duty officers, those on leave and even those on medical leave.
The Hankook Ilbo obtained and analyzed duty logs for 56 riot police units deployed to the National Assembly and Yongsan on Dec. 3 and 4, through Rep. Yong Hye-in's office from the Basic Income Party.
The police logs capture the frantic atmosphere of the night, detailing how officers scrambled to their posts. Emergency mobilization orders were issued between 11 p.m. and 11:30 p.m., shortly after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law at 10:25 p.m.
Officers began reporting to their unit offices by midnight and reached locations such as the National Assembly and the presidential office in Yongsan around 1 a.m.
The heightened alert continued until approximately 3:30 a.m., even after the National Assembly passed a resolution to lift martial law at 1 a.m. Officers remained on standby until 4:30 a.m. when Yoon lifted martial law.
Commanders, officers caught off guard
The suddenness of martial law also left field commanders struggling to maintain order and discipline among their teams. Some units conducted brief 10-minute training sessions or sobriety checks before deployment.
Commanders emphasized maintaining composure and securing sensitive information, cautioning officers to avoid leaks.
One officer recalled the chaos, saying, "Things were so rushed that many officers didn’t even have their uniforms ready and had to change in the buses on the way to the National Assembly."
Even officers on leave or on medical absence were not exempt from the emergency call. Six units initially off duty were mobilized, and some officers traveled long distances to report for duty, with one officer arriving from Gangwon Province at 3 a.m.
Over 2,000 officers deployed to National Assembly
The largest police presence was concentrated at the National Assembly, where 2,103 officers from 32 units were stationed. This far exceeded the 1,500 officers estimated by the National Assembly Secretariat.
The units cordoned off the Assembly into four zones, surrounding it from the front gate to the side entrances.
Typically, only two units (around 120 officers) are stationed at the Assembly during the day, with a reduced presence of 40 officers at night.
The scene was chaotic. An officer deployed to the Assembly said, "When we arrived around 1 a.m., barricade trucks were already in place, but there were no clear orders or assignments. Most of us just stood around, unsure of what to do."
Police stand guard in front of the presidential office building in Yongsan in the early hours of Dec. 4, following the National Assembly's passage of a resolution demanding the lifting of martial law. Yonhap
In Yongsan District, where the presidential office and residence are located, 24 units comprising 1,598 officers were deployed to prevent potential unrest. This was significantly more than the usual three daytime units or one nighttime unit stationed there.
Even after returning to their units around 4 a.m., officers remained on standby until 9 a.m. Some units were redeployed to locations like Gwanghwamun or the National Assembly by 7 a.m., continuing their duties without sufficient rest.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.