By Anadolu staff
ISTANBUL (AA) - South Korea has dismissed two army generals for infiltrating the National Assembly and attempting to arrest senior politicians during the short-lived imposition of martial law in Dec. 2024, Yonhap News reported on Friday, citing military sources.
The Defense Ministry took disciplinary action against Brig. Gen. Lee Sang-hyun, the former commander of the 1st Special Forces Brigade who was accused of leading troops into the National Assembly in an attempt to prevent lawmakers from voting down the martial law decree.
Rear Adm. Kim Dae-woo, the former investigative chief of the Defense Counterintelligence Command, was also dismissed on charges of dispatching a team to arrest politicians during the martial law attempt.
Both Lee and Kim are currently standing trial over their alleged roles in the martial law imposition.
In a statement, the ministry said it had imposed “severe” disciplinary measures against two general-level officers, without disclosing further details on the punishments.
The dismissals mark the latest step in the military’s broader effort to hold personnel accountable for their involvement in the martial law bid.
Last month, the military dismissed a brigadier general and demoted an additional officer over their roles in the incident.
Earlier last year, South Korea also dismissed at least four senior military commanders in connection with the martial law imposed under former President Yoon Suk Yeol.
While six military officers are on trial in the Seoul Central District Court.
The ousted President Yoon was sentenced earlier this month to five years in prison on charges of obstructing investigators’ attempts to detain him last year, including by ordering the Presidential Security Service to block the execution of a detention warrant at the official presidential residence.
The ruling marked the first sentence among eight cases Yoon is standing trial for, including charges that he led an insurrection through his December 2024 declaration of martial law.