Several military officials who were disciplined for involvement in former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s Dec. 3, 2024, martial law attempt have begun legal action to overturn the decisions against them.
Seven of the 37 officers subjected to heavy disciplinary actions have filed lawsuits seeking to nullify the Defense Ministry’s decisions, according to a report submitted Tuesday to Rep. Choo Mi-ae of the Democratic Party of Korea.
The plaintiffs include former Defense Intelligence Commander Maj. Gen. Moon Sang-ho, former Drone Operations Command chief Maj. Gen. Kim Yong-dae, and Col. Kim Bong-gyu, former head of the intelligence command’s central news unit, all of whom were dismissed from service.
Also making legal challenges are Maj. Gen. Jung Hak-seung, former Army mobilization chief, who received a three-month suspension; Col. Yoo Jae-won of the Defense Counterintelligence Command, who was suspended for two months; and Brig. Gen. Park Sung-hoon, Army public affairs chief, and Brig. Gen. Cho Jae-myung, former Army Cyber Operations Center head, who were both handed one-month suspensions.
Others have filed administrative appeals.
Several key figures implicated in the martial law operation — including former Defense Counterintelligence Command chief Lt. Gen. Yeo In-hyung and former Capital Defense Command head Lt. Gen. Lee Jin-woo — have filed administrative appeals with the Defense Ministry but have not yet begun lawsuits.
Former Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Ko Hyun-seok and former senior inspector at the Joint Chiefs of Staff Maj. Gen. Lee Jae-sik are also contesting the disciplinary decisions through internal procedures.
Former Navy Chief of Staff Adm. Kang Dong-gil, who was appointed under the Lee Jae Myung administration but later dismissed after his alleged involvement surfaced, also recently filed an appeal.
Kang is accused of ordering support for the establishment of the martial law command as head of military support at the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the time. He was given a one-month suspension and was booked earlier this month by a special counsel team investigating the case.
Among the 37 officers disciplined, only one — Lt. Gen. Kwak Jong-geun, former Special Warfare Command chief — has accepted the decision against him. His penalty was reduced from dismissal to removal, reportedly taking into account his testimony in the ongoing trial of former President Yoon.
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