The second special investigation team, led by Special Prosecutor Kwon Chang-young, has summoned former Defense Command Chief Lee Jin-woo to investigate allegations related to the establishment of the Guardian Task Force (TF) within the Army's Capital Defense Command. The task force is suspected of being deployed to the National Assembly on the day of the martial law declaration. The special prosecutors aim to determine whether Lee created a separate military system that operated outside the control of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and utilized it for the martial law.
Lee is being questioned as a suspect for abuse of power starting at 10 a.m. on August 11. This marks the first time he has been summoned regarding the Guardian TF allegations.
Arriving at the special prosecutor's office in Gwacheon at 9:44 a.m., Lee responded to reporters' questions about whether he planned the Guardian TF for martial law purposes, stating, "Absolutely not," and added, "I will answer sincerely today." When asked if he ordered the mobilization of the Guardian TF on the day of the martial law, he shook his head and proceeded to the interrogation room.
The special prosecutors are examining the purpose, organization, and training process of the Guardian TF, which was established in February 2024 under Lee's direction. The Guardian TF is known to be a counter-terrorism integrated operational system that combines various military police units, sniper teams, armored vehicles, explosive and chemical response teams, and drones, depending on the situation.
A key focus for the special prosecutors is that this organization operated differently from the standard counter-terrorism command and support system. According to the established counter-terrorism response system, if a terrorist incident occurs in a non-military facility like the National Assembly, the police are in charge of the scene, and military support is requested through the Joint Chiefs of Staff when necessary. The military personnel deployed are also expected to operate under the command of the on-site police.
However, the special prosecutors believe that Lee established a separate organization that allowed the Defense Command to directly command operations by combining the 35th Special Operations Battalion, designated as a counter-terrorism unit by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, with the 2nd Special Operations Battalion and military police.
The special prosecutors view the fact that the establishment and operation of the Guardian TF were not formally reported to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which also failed to grasp the specifics of the organization, as significant. Some reports have raised suspicions that the Guardian TF operated as a so-called "shadow organization" due to the lack of official documentation or internal reporting procedures.
The special prosecutors suspect that the purpose of creating such an organization may not have been limited to counter-terrorism. Special Prosecutor Kim Ji-mi mentioned in a briefing on August 3 that it is becoming clear that the Guardian TF organized by Lee Jin-woo was part of an illegal preparation for the December 3 martial law, excluding the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
In particular, the special prosecutors consider the process of the Guardian TF being mobilized toward the National Assembly on the day of the martial law declaration as a crucial clue to uncovering its purpose.
Based on testimonies from the special prosecutors and related individuals, it is understood that Lee called former Commander Cho at 9:48 p.m. on December 3, 2024, instructing him to mobilize the Guardian TF, suggesting that "there seems to be a situation, so gather the Guardian TF and the commander should come to the headquarters."
Lee reportedly carried blank rounds and ordered the removal of unit patches while instructing soldiers to collect their personal cell phones. It is also said that Cho was informed that the situation was a "Joint Chiefs of Staff surprise drill."
Cho's side claims that due to this, they did not recognize the operation as an actual martial law operation at the beginning. They believed it was a follow-up training after receiving a poor evaluation during a previous Joint Chiefs of Staff combat readiness inspection.
The situation changed after the declaration of martial law. According to related investigations and the first trial ruling in the case against former President Yoon Suk Yeol as the leader of the insurrection, Lee instructed Cho at 12:43 a.m. on December 4, 2024, to pull out members of the National Assembly.
Cho advised Lee that he could not carry out the mission alone and suggested consulting with then-Army Special Warfare Command Commander Kwak Jong-geun. Subsequently, Lee altered his instructions to indicate that if the Special Forces pulled out the National Assembly members, the Defense Command troops should clear the way.
The special prosecutors are also looking into how Lee's orders were communicated to the subordinate units. On the same day at 1:04 a.m., Cho communicated with Yoon Deok-kyu, then the commander of the 2nd Special Operations Battalion's 2nd regional unit (captain), who had arrived at the northern end of the Seogang Bridge. The special prosecutors have determined that during this communication, instructions were given to leave firearms and ammunition in the vehicle, carry riot sticks, coordinate with the units that entered the scene on how to approach the National Assembly, and the mission to pull out personnel inside the National Assembly.
The ruling in the case against former President Yoon also noted that Cho instructed Captain Yoon to leave firearms and blank rounds in the vehicle and to prepare for the mission of pulling out personnel inside the National Assembly.
However, there is a divergence in the interpretation of the nature of this communication between the special prosecutors and Cho's side. Cho's side argues that the statements made at that time were not specific orders to execute the entry into the National Assembly but rather explanations of the orders received from superiors and the situation on the ground. They also assert that Cho instructed Captain Yoon to return north at around 1:20 a.m. to prevent the troops from entering the National Assembly.
In contrast, the special prosecutors are examining whether this withdrawal occurred after the National Assembly passed a resolution demanding the lifting of martial law and after the Special Forces began to withdraw from the National Assembly, making the mission effectively impossible.
Initially, the special prosecutors suspected that Cho may have been involved from the planning stage of the Guardian TF. They are investigating whether the troops under Cho's command had prepared for the deployment during the martial law through various security drills and are reportedly considering additional charges of abuse of power.
Cho has only been questioned as a witness in the investigation related to the Guardian TF. His side claims that the Guardian TF was an integrated operational system designed to prepare for simultaneous terrorist attacks that could occur in Seoul and that no evidence has been presented to show that he was aware of the martial law in advance.
Previously, the insurrection special investigation team that investigated the martial law incident also concluded that Cho had responded passively to Lee's orders or refused some of them, ultimately deciding not to charge him. The comprehensive special investigation team appears to be focusing its investigative efforts on clarifying the purpose of Lee in creating the Guardian TF and the circumstances surrounding his orders on the day of the martial law, based on the command structure and communication details at that time.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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