SEOUL, South Korea — Startling court testimony emerged on October 10, 2025, alleging that the Presidential Security Service (PSS) prepared firearms to obstruct the arrest of then-President Yoon Suk-yeol in the wake of the December 3, 2024, declaration of martial law. Furthermore, evidence was presented suggesting Yoon instructed aides to delete sensitive communication records to tamper with evidence.
The revelations came during a hearing at the Seoul Central District Court for former President Yoon's trial on charges including obstruction of special official duties and abuse of authority, as part of a supplementary indictment by the Cho Eun-seok Special Counsel team investigating the alleged internal strife and insurrection.
Testimony: 'Just Shoot Once'
Kim Dae-kyung, former head of the PSS Support Headquarters, appeared as a witness and confirmed a line of questioning from the Special Counsel regarding the preparation of weapons. Kim testified that following the first failed attempt by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) to execute an arrest warrant on January 3, 2025, he was asked to procure a .38-caliber revolver and blank cartridges. He stated this request came not only from the former PSS Security Chief, Lee Gwang-woo, but was also backed by the former PSS Director, Park Jong-jun.
More dramatically, Kim recounted a conversation with former Director Park, who said he had tried to persuade the President to comply with the investigation but was rebuffed. According to Kim’s testimony, Park said the President responded with a statement to the effect of: "Can't we just shoot once?" Kim clarified that he understood the instruction for a 'shot' to mean firing a blank cartridge to intimidate the arresting officers. This alleged order was made prior to the second attempt to execute the arrest warrant on January 15, which ultimately led to Yoon's detention while in office.
Allegations of Evidence Tampering
Kim Dae-kyung also testified to receiving an unlawful order to delete records from secure "non-public" phones used by key military commanders in the days immediately following the martial law declaration. He stated that on December 6, 2024, he was told by Park Jong-jun's secretary that the Director had ordered the deletion of the non-public phone usage and call history of military leaders, including former Capital Defense Commander Lee Jin-woo, former Defense Security Command Commander Yeo In-hyung, and former Special Warfare Commander Kwak Jong-geun.
When Kim asked Director Park if this was a presidential directive, Park allegedly confirmed it. Kim, however, refused to comply, asserting he believed the order to be illegal and improper. He feared that deleting evidence, especially after the declaration of martial law, could be construed as evidence destruction. Despite this, he stated Park pressured and reprimanded him for days for not following the directive.
Former President Absent from Court
Former President Yoon Suk-yeol, who was arrested and indicted on multiple criminal charges related to the short-lived martial law, including insurrection, failed to appear at the October 10 court session, citing health reasons in a written submission.
The court, presided over by Chief Judge Baek Dae-hyun, rejected the former President's non-appearance. The judge stated that the submitted document lacked sufficient detail to prove that his presence was physically impossible or significantly difficult. The court ruled the refusal to attend was without justifiable cause and indicated it would review the possibility of proceeding with a trial in absentia for future hearings, a significant escalation in the proceedings.
Yoon had previously appeared at the first public hearing on the new charges in September and personally requested bail (release from custody), which the court denied on October 2, 2025. The ongoing trial continues to expose high-level details regarding the turbulent political events following the martial law declaration.
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