Yoon denies martial law failure

[Anchor]

President Yoon stated that the recent emergency martial law was not a failure, but rather ended sooner than expected.

Former Minister Kim acknowledged that he had previously discussed the state of emergency with military commanders and Mr. Roh Sang-won.

Reporter Gong Min-kyung reports.

[Report]

President Yoon Suk Yeol said that the martial law was not a failure.

He added that it ended sooner than expected.

[Yoon Suk Yeol/President: "The National Assembly quickly demanded the lifting of martial law. As soon as the resolution for lifting the martial law was announced, I immediately called the minister and the martial law commander to my office and ordered the military withdrawal."]

This statement differs from the prosecution's claim that after the resolution to lift the martial law was passed, President Yoon instructed former Capital Defense Commander Lee Jin-woo to "continue the process as we can declare martial law again for the second or third time."

Former Minister Kim stated that about a month before the martial law, military commanders, including Commander Lee Jin-woo, gathered at the official residence and discussed the missions and methods of execution in case of an emergency.

[Kim Yong-hyun/Former Minister of National Defense: "It is correct to confirm what missions to perform and how to execute them in case of an emergency."]

Regarding Roh Sang-won, a former intelligence commander who is now a civilian, he acknowledged that he had contacted him but stated that they had only discussed emergency martial law a few times.

[Kim Yong-hyun/Former Minister of National Defense: "He often came regarding some hearings. Then, he gave me a lot of advice on how to normalize the intelligence agency. As for the execution of duties related to emergency martial law, General Roh Sang-won may have come about twenty times, but it was only a few times among those visits."]

Justice Lee Mi-son also questioned the claims of President Yoon and former Minister Kim that the martial law was declared to ascertain the reality of election fraud.

[Lee Mi-son/Constitutional Court Justice: "You believe that you can declare emergency martial law for such reasons, right?"]

In response to this question, former Minister Kim briefly answered that the declaration of emergency martial law is the president's responsibility.

This is KBS News, Gong Min-kyung.