Former Intelligence Chief Testifies on Arrest Orders During Martial Law

In a recent court session at the Seoul Central District Court, a former high-ranking official from the National Intelligence Service, 여인형 (Yeo In-hyung), was implicated in issuing orders for the arrest of prominent politicians including 이재명 (Lee Jae-myung), 한동훈 (Han Dong-hoon), and 우원식 (Woo Won-sik) during the 12·3 martial law. The testimony came from 김대우 (Kim Dae-woo), a former head of the investigation unit, who stated that he was instructed to form a joint investigation team with support from the National Police Agency and the Ministry of National Defense to investigate martial law violations.

During his testimony, 김 전 단장 (Kim Dae-woo) recounted that 여 전 사령관 (Yeo In-hyung) provided a list of names to be arrested and directed him to ensure their transfer to the B1 bunker of the Capital Defense Command. When asked if the order was explicitly to 'arrest,' he clarified that it was understood as 'capture and transfer.' He believed the individuals on the list were considered 'martial law offenders.'

Despite his inquiries about the specific charges against the individuals, he received no clear answers from 여 전 사령관, who claimed ignorance of the allegations. As police support was delayed, only intelligence officers were dispatched to the National Assembly, with strict instructions against making any arrests directly.

After the officers were deployed, 김 전 단장 reported receiving further instructions from 여 전 사령관 to focus on the arrests of 우원식, 한동훈, and 이재명. While 여 전 사령관 previously asserted that the directive was merely to confirm the locations of these individuals, 김 전 단장 insisted that he had indeed received orders for their detention. He did, however, mention overhearing 여 전 사령관 express a need to request location confirmations from the police.

Concerned about the sensitivity of the arrest list, 김 전 단장 instructed 구민회 (Koo Min-hwa), a former intelligence coordination officer, not to disclose the names to the National Police Agency. Koo had previously communicated the need for personnel and vehicles to establish a joint investigation unit based on 김 전 단장's orders.

After the session, the court noted that the detention period for defendant 김봉식 (Kim Bong-sik) would expire on July 8, and they would review the status of other defendants as well. The next hearing for the case involving Police Chief 조지호 (Jo Ji-ho) and others is scheduled for June 25.