Prosecution reveals Pres. Yoon planned martial law for months

[Anchor]

The prosecution reports that President Yoon has hinted at emergency martial law since March of this year, and that substantial preparations have been underway since last month.

This contradicts the claims made by President Yoon and former Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who denied the so-called pre-planning.

This part is reported by Kim Tae-hoon.

[Report]

The 'martial law suspicion' that began to be raised in earnest since August.

At that time, Kim Yong-hyun, the candidate for Minister of National Defense, completely denied the allegations.

[Kim Yong-hyun/Former Minister of National Defense Candidate/Sept. 2: "If martial law were to be declared, which citizen would accept it? And would our military follow it?"]

According to the prosecution's indictment, it is understood that President Yoon Suk Yeol and former Minister Kim have discussed emergency martial law at least nine times since March.

The discussions began with mentions of 'emergency measures.'

According to the prosecution, President Yoon has repeatedly mentioned 'emergency powers' and 'special methods' since March.

There were also statements about needing to take 'measures' against specific individuals or groups, such as politicians and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions.

In other words, discussions about martial law began before the April general elections.

After the National Armed Forces Day parade, former Minister Kim, along with commanders Yeo In-hyung, Kwak Jong-geun, and Lee Jin-woo, gathered to discuss 'emergency powers,' and as the date for martial law approached, more specific statements emerged.

The indictment details President Yoon's statements such as 'Is this a country?', 'The National Assembly is acting recklessly', and 'We must use emergency powers under the Constitution to resolve this crisis'.

In particular, the expression "The National Assembly is acting recklessly" also appears in his address after the martial law.

President Yoon stated that he began considering martial law recently through his address after the emergency martial law.

[Dec. 12: "When the Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office and the prosecutors said they would impeach the head of the Board of Audit and Inspection, a constitutional institution, I judged that I could no longer just watch."]

However, the prosecution believes that President Yoon has been planning the execution of martial law for about nine months.

The prosecution concluded that when President Yoon asked on Dec. 1, "If martial law is declared, how can we mobilize troops?", former Minister Kim reported a specific plan, and President Yoon approved it, leading to the implementation of martial law.

KBS News, Kim Tae-hoon.