[비즈한국] As President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law on the 3rd, the Ministry of National Defense has ordered all military units to strengthen their emergency alert and readiness posture.
President Yoon announced the declaration in an emergency address from the presidential office in Yongsan, stating, "I am declaring emergency martial law to eradicate pro-North Korean forces and protect the free constitutional order."
In response, the Ministry of National Defense has ordered key officials and authorities of each military branch to immediately return to their units to strengthen security and readiness while assessing the situation. An emergency standby order has also been issued for commanders at the battalion level and above. All Ministry of National Defense personnel have been ordered to report to work. It is understood that officers and non-commissioned officers working outside the base have been ordered to return to their units. The discharge of active-duty soldiers is being postponed.
Additionally, security at the entire Ministry of National Defense building has been tightened, with strict verification of personnel entering the premises, including mandatory display of identification passes, which is being enforced more rigorously than usual.
At 11:30 PM, 30 minutes after the martial law declaration, military police entered the press room on the first floor of the Ministry of National Defense building and requested that reporters vacate the premises.
The standoff between the press corps and the military police lasted for about 20 minutes, but an officer from the Ministry of National Defense partially lifted the restriction, stating, "Civilian access to the press room is permitted." The Ministry's public affairs office stated, "There was a misunderstanding during the relaying of the instructions."
This martial law declaration was reportedly suggested to President Yoon Suk Yeol by Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun. Most aerial assets, including fighter jets, are currently reported to be scrambled, performing airborne surveillance and patrol missions for emergency standby.
Two military helicopters were also spotted over the National Assembly grounds. They are reported to be from the Capital Defense Command. However, photos of tank convoys and armored vehicles shared on social media are known to be fake news. Following the martial law declaration, a photo of an armored vehicle taken from a window, accompanied by a news-style article claiming that 'armored vehicles have been deployed near Sadang Station,' was shared on social media, but it was proven to be fake news after it was revealed that a shop captured in the image had already closed permanently.
Army Chief of Staff General Park An-soo has been appointed as the Martial Law Commander. It was expected that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff would take the position as the Joint Chiefs of Staff is responsible for martial law operations, but the Army Chief of Staff was appointed instead.
Commander Park issued 'Martial Law Command Decree No. 1,' which includes a total ban on all political activities by the National Assembly and local councils.
As the National Assembly passed a resolution demanding the lifting of the emergency martial law around 1:00 AM on the 4th, the military's directive for strengthened emergency alert and readiness is expected to end once President Yoon Suk Yeol lifts the martial law and makes an official announcement.