President Yoon Suk-yeol reportedly declared martial law on the night of the 3rd and instructed Jo Ji-ho, the Commissioner of the Korean National Police Agency, to arrest members of the National Assembly for violating martial law. The arrest list is said to include a judge who acquitted Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, in the first trial of the perjury case.
On the 13th, according to Commissioner Jo's side, President Yoon reportedly called Commissioner Jo during the martial law period and instructed to arrest the members of the National Assembly, saying, “Arrest them all, it’s a violation of the martial law.”
President Yoon reportedly made six calls by giving unilateral instructions and then hanging up and calling again. Commissioner Jo noted, “I thought the instruction was unreasonable, so I didn’t tell my aides and dismissed it on my own,” claiming it was in essence an act of defiance.
It is also reported that Commissioner Jo stated Yeon In-hyeong, the Commander of the Defense Security Command, requested location tracking for 15 people, including politicians, around 10:30 p.m. shortly after the martial law was declared on Dec. 3. Commissioner Jo asked about an unfamiliar name on the arrest list, to which Commander Yeon replied, “A judge who acquitted Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, on the perjury charge.”
The arrest list reportedly also included Leader Lee, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik, Democratic Party of Korea's Floor Leader Park Chan-dae, National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jung Cheong-rae, and People's Power Party Leader Han Dong-hoon.