A former commander of South Korea’s Army Special Warfare Command testified Monday that former President Yoon Suk-yeol ordered him to capture political opponents and personally threatened to “shoot and kill them” during an Armed Forces Day dinner on Oct. 1, 2024, the witness told Seoul Central District Court.
Kwak Jong-keun, identified in court as a former commander of the Army Special Warfare Command, made the statements during proceedings at Seoul Central District Court, according to his testimony. He said the alleged orders targeted political figures including Han Dong-hoon, who was then leader of the People Power Party. The testimony centers on statements Kwak attributed to Yoon during the Armed Forces Day dinner held on Oct. 1, 2024.
The parties named in the testimony occupy prominent roles in South Korea’s recent political and military landscape. Yoon Suk-yeol served as president of South Korea, and Han Dong-hoon held leadership in the People Power Party at the time referenced in the testimony. Kwak’s position as a former Special Warfare commander places him among senior military figures whose actions and statements could bear on questions about civil-military relations and the proper separation of armed forces from partisan politics.
Armed Forces Day is an annual observance involving the military, and the Oct. 1 dinner referenced in the testimony is identified by Kwak as the setting for the alleged directive and threat. In his account to the court, Kwak said Yoon ordered the capture of political opponents and issued a threat he recounted in the phrase “shoot and kill them” in connection with that order. The testimony as reported did not elaborate on operational details, methods for carrying out such orders, or any subsequent actions allegedly taken by Kwak or other military personnel.
Kwak’s statements were presented in a courtroom setting at Seoul Central District Court on Monday. The testimony adds to the record of allegations made under oath by a former senior military officer and is expected to be entered into the court file. Beyond the quoted language and the identification of Han Dong-hoon as among those named in the alleged directive, details released about the testimony have been limited to what Kwak reported in court.
The appearance of a former military commander in court making such allegations raises questions about the intersection of political directives and military authority, and about the handling of allegations involving senior political figures. How the court will assess Kwak’s testimony and what evidentiary weight it will carry remains a matter for judicial determination within the ongoing proceedings at Seoul Central District Court.
Monday’s testimony constitutes the latest public account by a former military official concerning directives attributed to a former head of state and the targeting of political opponents. The court session in which Kwak testified was held at Seoul Central District Court, and the testimony will form part of the official record in the case before the court. Further developments will depend on the court’s handling of the testimony and any subsequent filings or hearings in the matter.