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Retired Korean officer condemns troops who refused martial-law orders

A parliamentary press conference reopens questions about unlawful commands, as court rulings and demands for a party apology expose the crisis's unresolved divisions.

Channel: MBCNEWS ·

South KoreaStory of November 8, 2026Trari Newsroom

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계엄 '여조 꽃' 간 특전사 중령.. 전역 뒤 국회서 '벌컥' 대반전 [뉴스.zip/MBC뉴스]

Things we can learn from the video

Press to jump

0:00Retired officer Yoo Seon-min criticizes soldiers who refused martial-law orders at a National Assembly press conference.
0:46MBC examines laws and precedents establishing that soldiers need not obey unlawful commands.
1:53Eight former military personnel receive first-instance acquittals; special prosecutors say they will appeal.
3:44People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok rejects calls for a martial-law apology as efforts to undermine his leadership.
5:32An August report recounts former commander Kim Hyun-tae's first-instance 12-year sentence and his shift from apology to defense.
6:45MBC summarizes prison sentences for other field commanders alongside acquittals for some personnel.

Former lieutenant colonel Yoo Seon-min used a press conference at South Korea's National Assembly to criticize soldiers who declined to follow martial-law orders. Having left the military, he portrayed their refusal as a betrayal of the armed forces' principle of obedience, according to South Korea's Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC).

The broadcaster identifies Yoo as an officer from the 9th Airborne Brigade who was dispatched to polling firm Flower during the martial-law operation. Its compilation sets his remarks against a legal distinction: military discipline does not require obedience to an unlawful command. The report cites South Korean military-service law and court precedents, alongside American military principles, to examine that limit.

The dispute stems from then-president Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law on December 3, 2024, which sought to suspend political activity, including parliamentary proceedings. Nearly two years later, the compilation brings together reports from August, October and November rather than presenting the court decisions as one new ruling.

In its October report, MBC says eight former military personnel were acquitted at first instance in proceedings concerning martial-law deployments and a pre-declaration meeting at a Lotteria hamburger restaurant. The court's reasoning emphasized the urgent circumstances and fragmentary orders the defendants received. Special prosecutors said they would appeal.

A separate August report describes a different outcome for Kim Hyun-tae, the former commander of the 707th Special Mission Group, whose troops entered the National Assembly. MBC reports that he received a 12-year prison sentence at first instance and was taken into custody. Archive footage contrasts his earlier apology for endangering his troops with his subsequent defense of Yoon's declaration as lawful.

The political argument continues inside the conservative People Power Party. MBC reports that leader Jang Dong-hyeok dismissed calls for a party apology as attempts to destabilize the leadership or divide the party. It also shows lawmaker Joo Jin-woo expressing support for Kim, placing the question of military accountability alongside the party's refusal to offer a collective apology.