Kwak Jong-geun, the former commander of the Army Special Warfare Command, who was arrested and indicted on suspicion of deploying troops during the 12·3 state of emergency, stated through an in-prison statement on the 14th, "I do not think I was used or coerced by the Democratic Party of Korea."
The former commander said in a statement released through his lawyer that day, "I have judged and testified everything based on facts until now according to my will."
He commented on appearing on YouTube with Democratic Party lawmakers Kim Byeong-joo and Park Seon-won on December 6, 2024, saying, "Of course, it is right to speak in a place where both ruling and opposition defense committee members are present," but added, "The defense committee meeting on December 5 was canceled, and I knew I would be suspended from duty on December 6 in the afternoon, so I thought it would be necessary to explain at least while maintaining my position to protect my subordinates, and that's why I agreed."
He also mentioned that he did not receive legal support from the Democratic Party. The former commander said, "I met with a lawyer introduced by Representative Boo Seung-chan, but after about an hour of conversation, it ended without a power of attorney being submitted," adding, "I found the lawyer and appointed them after being arrested."
In addition, the former commander stated, "I wrote a confession letter to truthfully tell related facts and submitted it during the prosecutor's investigation on December 9."