S. Korean prosecutors say Yoon authorised 'shooting' during martial law bid

Prosecutors' report reveals ex-Defense Minister Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law bid and subsequent impeachment turmoil in South Korea.

South Korea's suspended president Yoon Suk Yeol authorised the military to fire their weapons if needed to enter parliament during his failed bid to impose martial law, according to a prosecutors' report seen by AFP on Saturday (December 28, 2024).

The 10-page summary from former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun's prosecution indictment report, which was provided to the media, also says Mr. Yoon vowed on December 3 to declare martial law three times if necessary.

Mr. Yoon, who was stripped of his duties by the National Assembly this month, is under investigation for his short-lived attempt to scrap civilian rule, which plunged the country into political turmoil and led to his impeachment.

Mr. Yoon's lawyer Yoon Kab-keun dismissed the prosecutors' report, telling AFP it was "a one-sided account that neither corresponds to objective circumstances nor common sense".

As lawmakers rushed to parliament on December 3 to vote down Mr. Yoon's martial law declaration, heavily armed troops stormed the building, scaling fences, smashing windows and landing by helicopter.

According to the prosecution indictment report, Mr. Yoon told the chief of the capital defence command, Lee Jin-woo, that military forces could shoot if necessary to enter the National Assembly.

"Have you still not got in? What are you doing? Break down the door and drag them out, even if it means shooting," Mr. Yoon told Mr. Lee, according to the report.