Lee orders comprehensive review of martial law involvement

On Nov. 11, President Lee Jae-myung said that responsibility for officials involved in the sedition should not rely solely on the special counsel and must be handled independently. He ordered a sweeping investigation and personnel actions for public officials suspected of participating in the Dec. 3 martial law incident. Prime Minister Kim Min-seok announced plans to form a government-wide task force to carry out national-level investigations by January. With the special counsel’s sedition probe nearing its conclusion, the move is seen as an effort both to overhaul senior officials involved in the martial law attempt and to maintain the political narrative of “sedition accountability” ahead of local elections in June.

During a live-streamed Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said that the extended legal proceedings and investigations had slowed efforts to overcome the sedition crisis. He noted that individuals involved in the sedition appearing on promotion lists had caused internal friction within the civil service and weakened momentum in government policy. He proposed forming the “Constitutional Integrity Government Reform Task Force,” saying it would create a legal basis for taking appropriate personnel actions against public officials who participated in or aided the sedition. He added that the task force would complete its investigations by January and carry out follow-up measures before the Lunar New Year to minimize unrest within the civil service.

President Lee immediately endorsed Kim’s proposal, calling it something that obviously needs to be done. He added that responsibility for the sedition would depend on the level of involvement, ranging from cases requiring criminal prosecution to matters warranting administrative accountability or lower-level personnel measures, making the task force necessary.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the task force will be led by the director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination. Separate teams will be set up in each of the 49 central administrative ministries to conduct internal investigations into participation in or cooperation with the December 3 martial law attempt. Twelve institutions, including the military, prosecution, police, and the ministries of foreign affairs, national defense, and the interior and safety, will face special scrutiny due to strong suspicions of involvement. The task force is expected to conduct interviews, written inquiries, and forensic examinations of mobile phones and computers. It will investigate premeditation, execution, post-event justification, and cover-up actions during the martial law process, and take personnel measures based on the findings.

“The effort is simply a rebranding of previous initiatives to ‘eradicate deep-rooted evils’ under the Moon Jae-in administration,” Choi Bo-yoon, chief spokesman of the People Power Party, said. “The Lee administration is once again targeting public officials who had opposed the administration or held differing views. After the decision to drop the Daejang-dong appeal left the administration politically vulnerable, the president is trying to redirect public attention to a ‘delusional sedition frame.’ The administration should not harass honest public officials. The proper course is to focus on the Daejang-dong trial first as a duty to the public.”


윤다빈 empty@donga.com