South Korea intends striking North Korea before declaring martial law

Member of the South Korean parliamentary intelligence committee Lee Gi-hong has said that the South Korean Armed Forces discussed striking North Korea shortly before the declaration of martial law.

This would be a response to the launch of garbage-filled balloons from North Korean territory, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

Lee Gi-hong said that he received information that former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who proposed to President Yoon Suk Yeol the idea of declaring martial law, instructed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kim Myung-soo, starting last week, to fire warning shots and then strike the locations from which the garbage balloons are launched in North Korea if they were to fly again.  

Moreover, Lee Gi-hong also noted that the minister's orders were not intended to be carried out due to resistance from Kim Myung-su, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Lee Seung-oh, the head of the operational staff. However, the Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed that no instructions were received to strike North Korea. 

They did, however, acknowledge that the tactics for such attacks were discussed.   South Korea is facing a political crisis after President Yoon Suk-yeol announced the declaration of martial law on December 3, accusing the opposition of undermining constitutional order and supporting North Korea.

He explained his decision by citing the parliament's obstruction of the judiciary and executive branches due to attempts to impeach government officials. Following this, protests erupted in Seoul, with civil activists clashing with the soldiers deployed to the capital. Just a few hours later, martial law was lifted. 

On December 7, a vote was held in the country's parliament regarding the impeachment of the president. However, the vote did not proceed, as only 195 members participated, whereas 200 out of 300 votes were required to remove the head of state.

By Naila Huseynova