The prosecution has summoned Kim Hyun-tae, the Director General of the Army Special Warfare Command's 707th Special Mission Battalion, as a suspect for questioning regarding the emergency martial law on Dec. 3.
According to the legal community on the 12th, the prosecution's special investigative team for the emergency martial law called Director General Kim on the 9th to question him as a suspect on charges of engaging in important duties related to rebellion.
The prosecution questioned Director General Kim as a witness in December of last year and then later changed his status to that of a suspect. This was his second questioning as a suspect.
Director General Kim appeared as a witness in the Constitutional Court's impeachment trial of President Yoon Suk-yeol on the 6th and responded to the question, 'Was there an order to drag out the lawmakers?' by saying, 'There was no such order, and to my memory, even if there was, it wouldn't have been possible.' He reportedly also stated during the prosecution's investigation that he did not directly hear the command from former Commander Kwak to 'drag out the lawmakers,' but he mentioned that he heard from other unit members that former Commander Kwak had said so.
At the time, it was reported that former Commander Kwak did not turn off his microphone during a video conference, and the instructions were conveyed directly to the members of the Special Forces. The members testified to the prosecution that they heard the commander saying to drag them out.
When Director General Kim held a press conference on Dec. 9 of last year, he stated, 'I received calls every 1 to 2 minutes from (Commander Kwak Jong-geun), and the nuance was, 'It is said that there should not be more than 150 lawmakers (inside the National Assembly). Can we drag them out?' However, he indicated on the 6th in the Constitutional Court that he misunderstood the questions from the reporters during the press conference and responded that way.
He also reportedly explained in detail to the prosecution the orders he received from former Commander Kwak on Dec. 3 of last year regarding blocking the National Assembly and cutting off power. However, he stated in the Constitutional Court that the meaning of 'blocking' was not to completely prevent entry but rather to 'block threats from terrorists or enemies coming from outside according to the manual.'