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Former JCS Chairman Kim Myeong-su Booked in 'December 3rd Insurrection' Case, Special Prosecutor Identifies 'Involvement in Key Duties of Insurrection' Charges
Former JCS Chairman Kim Myeong-su Booked on 'December 3rd Insurrection' Charges
Kim Myeong-su, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who held the highest military rank overseeing the Army, Navy, and Air Force, has been booked on charges including involvement in key duties of insurrection, after evidence of his participation in the 'December 3rd Insurrection' was uncovered by the Second Consolidated Special Prosecutor. He had previously testified at a parliamentary hearing on January 14 last year that he was not involved in deploying the military and would have prevented the emergency martial law plan if he had known about it in advance. However, the special prosecutor has confirmed circumstances that contradict his testimony.
'Fragmentary Order' Related to Martial Law Uncovered, Charges Applied
As a result of the special prosecutor's investigation, it was revealed that former JCS Chairman Kim Myeong-su issued a fragmentary order to Kwak Jong-geun, then commander of the Special Warfare Command, and Lee Jin-woo, then commander of the Capital Defense Command, immediately after the declaration of martial law, instructing them to prioritize martial law duties. A fragmentary order is a brief operational command used to change the mission of individual units. Accordingly, in addition to the charges of involvement in key duties of insurrection, the special prosecutor has also applied charges of "failure to prevent subordinate crimes" under the Military Criminal Act to former JCS Chairman Kim Myeong-su. This charge applies to a superior who, knowing that subordinates are jointly committing a crime, fails to take necessary measures to prevent it.
Additional JCS Command Members Booked, Full-Scale Investigation Announced
The Second Consolidated Special Prosecutor has also booked five other JCS command members, including Jeong Jin-pal, former Vice Chairman, and Kang Dong-gi, former Chief of the Military Support Headquarters, who are suspected of involvement in the formation of the martial law command, along with former JCS Chairman Kim Myeong-su. Special Assistant Prosecutor Kim Ji-mi stated that JCS officials have been booked and placed under a travel ban on charges including involvement in key duties of insurrection, and a full-scale investigation will commence soon, starting with questioning of witnesses. The special prosecutor also believes that the military command overseeing these units bears responsibility for failing to properly respond when they were involved in the insurrection.
*Source: YouTube: MBC News (2026-03-11)*
