Testimony claims former DCC chief ordered lawmakers’ arrests

In the trial of former Defense Counterintelligence Command (DCC) Chief Yeo In-hyung, who faces charges for his role in the December 3 martial law plot, new testimony alleges that Yeo ordered the arrest and detention of 14 individuals, including sitting lawmakers.

At the Central District Military Court in Yongsan, Seoul, on Tuesday, former Brigadier General Kim Dae-woo, who led the DCC’s Counterintelligence Investigation Division, testified that Yeo instructed the creation of a Joint Investigation Headquarters and handed down a list of names said to have come from then-Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun.

“He named 14 individuals, including politicians, and told us to write them down,” Kim said. “He ordered they be arrested and taken to the B1 bunker of the Capital Defense Command.”

Yeo previously denied issuing any arrest orders, claiming in court that he merely directed his team to “verify their locations.” However, Kim said it was his understanding that the DCC was not tasked with making arrests directly, but with transferring custody of individuals detained by military or police forces.

Kim also testified about dispatching personnel to the National Assembly after reading the list to other DCC officers, including Gu Min-hoe, head of investigative coordination. “I believed that, since martial law had been declared, a Joint Investigation Headquarters had been formed,” he said. “I understood its role to include detaining individuals considered violators of martial law, so I interpreted the instruction to arrest politicians accordingly.”

When asked by military prosecutors whether this amounted to further blockade of the National Assembly, Kim said, “Under presidential martial law orders, there was fear of disobedience.” He added, “It was such a chaotic situation that we couldn’t even tell what was legal or not. It was nearly impossible to make a sound judgment. When Yeo pressed for immediate action, I felt obligated to send in the team.”


최미송기자 cms@donga.com