SEOUL – The team allegedly tasked with arresting top lawmakers after Dec 3’s short-lived martial law declaration heavily weighed detaining them at the military command whose job is to protect the capital from outside attack, according to a military source.
The source with knowledge of the matter said the military police compound at the Capital Defense Command, in Seoul’s southern Gwanak-gu, was considered to be a strong choice option for holding the detainees.
Calling for Mr Yoon Suk Yeol’s suspension on Dec 6, People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon, said he had “credible grounds” to believe the president had ordered the detention of major political figures at a facility in Gwacheon, on the southern edge of Seoul.
It has been widely believed to be referring to the Defense Counterintelligence Command, whose commander is Lieutenant General Yeo In-hyung.
“But the command does not have such a facility to detain them,” the source said. “There is a facility to investigate but not detain them.”
Mr Yeo has denied receiving an order to arrest politicians. The National Police Agency, in a report submitted to the National Assembly on Dec 6, said Mr Yeo asked police to find the whereabouts of some of the high-profile politicians but that they did not follow through, because they considered that such a request would need a review of its legality.
The military source added that authorities had considered nearby locations to use as detention centers, and the compound at the Capital Defense Command that housed its military police was its preferred choice. The source did not confirm when this decision took place.
Under martial law, the Defense Counterintelligence Command chief has the power to detain and investigate persons of interest.
The team directed by the DCC commander this week is alleged to have targeted over 10 lawmakers and activists, including National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik, ruling party leader Han Dong-hoon and Lee Jae-myung, head of the main opposition Democratic Party.
According to the source, authorities had also considered the wartime B1 Bunker as a location to hold the high-profile figures.
The bunker, also in Gwanak-gu and handled by the Capital Defense Command, is the largest of the three the Korean military operates independently to respond to an attack by North Korea.
That idea didn’t get much traction, the source said. THE KOREA HERALD/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK
