SEOUL, December 4. /TASS/. The plan to introduce martial law in South Korea failed because its initiators could not subjugate the entire army, except for the special forces that arrived at the parliament by helicopter, the JTBC TV channel reported.
According to the report, Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun proposed the idea to President Yoon Suk Yeol. "The forces enforcing martial law acted smoothly. However, they failed to subdue other types of forces due to poor command," the TV channel commented.
Based on this, the top defense official designated Army Chief of Staff Park An-soo as the martial law commander. "Instead of the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who commands all the armed forces, the army chief of staff was selected. His martial law orders were not properly communicated," the report said.
"The orders of Kim Yong Hyun and the martial law commander were limited to the special forces units trying to seize control of the National Assembly and the command of the defense of the capital," the TV station said. "The Ground Forces Command and the units responsible for defending the capital and its surroundings did not participate in the martial law actions," JTBC said.
"The soldiers' discontent also intensified over the way the parliament voted unanimously to lift martial law. As a result, the forces that were supposed to enforce martial law withdrew from the parliament building at the same time as President Yoon Suk Yeol's announcement," the broadcaster said.
On December 4, the South Korean opposition initiated an impeachment process against the president. Lawmakers are expected to vote on it this week.