Choongam High alums Yoon, Kim’s ‘martial law collusion’ sidelined PM: sources

Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun at a session at the National Assembly / Yonhap

The abrupt declaration of martial law Tuesday originated from the close alliance between President Yoon Suk Yeol and then-Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, former senior and junior classmates at Choongam High School, multiple sources said.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, the second-highest figure in the executive branch, was reduced to a mere figurehead amid secretive discussions on martial law orchestrated within the direct reporting system of the so-called "Choongam faction."

Other Cabinet ministers were similarly powerless in the face of the faction’s determination. Moving forward, the Yoon administration is expected to face intense scrutiny over its abnormal decision-making processes, along with mounting calls to hold Han and the Cabinet accountable for their failure to prevent the illegal attempt at declaring martial law.

Secretive meeting overrides opposition

Han and other Cabinet members were notified to "come to the Yongsan Presidential Office" late on Tuesday, sources said. It was only upon arriving at the scene that attendees learned that an emergency Cabinet meeting was being convened to deliberate on a martial law declaration.

Typically, such meetings include the president's chief of staff, the national security advisor, and the minister of government policy coordination.

However, the emergency meeting was conducted without the presence of any additional attendees. Some usual participants said that they had not even been informed of the meeting, highlighting the secretive nature of the gathering.

The martial law declaration, shared with only a select few, came from Kim. A Ministry of National Defense official said it is true that Kim proposed the idea of martial law.

Kim, a close confidant of Yoon, is an alum of Choongam High School and previously served as the inaugural chief of the Presidential Security Service in the Yoon administration. This collaboration between two Choongam High alums culminated in the covert planning and attempted implementation of the illegal martial law declaration.

Democratic Party lawmakers Reps. Kim Min-seok and Kim Byung-joo had previously raised concerns about a possible "Choongam faction martial law scheme" from the moment Kim was appointed as defense minister.

Despite heated opposition from most ministers, including Han, Yoon pressed forward, leveraging his authority to declare martial law after merely meeting the quorum for deliberation. The Cabinet’s dissent was overruled, and martial law was declared at 10:25 p.m.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, related ministers and vice ministers leave the meeting room after concluding discussions at the Government Complex Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

Choongam faction’s dream futile

By midnight, troops had entered the National Assembly, but within two hours, lawmakers unanimously passed a resolution to lift martial law.

Yoon repealed the declaration three hours later, rendering the "Choongam faction’s dream" futile.

However, public outrage and mass resignations from presidential aides and Cabinet members have plunged the Yoon administration into its worst crisis since its inception.

Han issued an apology, taking full responsibility for the events, saying, “As the head of the Cabinet, I deeply regret the processes that led to this situation.”

He added that, while he would not immediately accept resignations from Cabinet members to avoid further chaos, all ministers and civil servants must continue their duties to ensure national stability.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.