Two narratives surrounding the December 3rd martial law incident. The left symbolizes the "attempted coup" narrative argued by the Democratic Party and the special prosecutor, while the right represents the "spy ring arrest operation" narrative raised by a Sky Daily report. Hanmiilbo graphic.

Table of Contents

① Spy Ring Arrest or Attempted Coup

② Martial Law Declaration: Legitimate Defense or Abuse of Power?

③ Noh Sang-won's Notebook: Blueprint for a Coup or Political Script?

④ Hong Jang-won's Memo: Arrest List or Fabricated Document?

Exclusive Report by Heo Gyeom (Current Publisher of Hanmiilbo)

The spark of controversy was ignited by an exclusive report from reporter Heo Gyeom (current publisher of Hanmiilbo). Citing multiple military officials and intelligence sources, Reporter Heo reported that a secret arrest operation targeting a Chinese spy ring took place on the night of December 3rd at the second dormitory of the Central Election Commission in Suwon (annex or dormitory for foreigners). The report stated that U.S. intelligence agencies and South Korean special forces were involved in the operation, several suspects were arrested at the scene, and some were transferred overseas via a U.S. military base in Korea.

This report was not merely anecdotal. It was supported by a testimony that then-President Yoon Suk-yeol mentioned "rooting out spy rings" and by cross-verification from domestic and international intelligence officials, lending it credibility. Consequently, it served as evidence to support President Yoon Suk-yeol's claim that the martial law was not for power seizure but a response to a real security crisis.

Reporter Heo faced pressure from police searches and arrest warrant requests due to this report. He was released when the arrest warrant was denied during the suspect interrogation (warrant examination). Prosecutors, who received the case from the police with a recommendation for indictment, decided not to prosecute on two charges of defamation by false reporting, and ordered police to supplement their investigation on the remaining charges. This is widely interpreted as a de facto dismissal of charges.

Democratic Party and Special Prosecutor's Opposite Interpretations

However, the Democratic Party and the special prosecutor immediately denied the report and presented opposing interpretations. The special prosecutor claimed that "the deployment of troops to the Election Commission was an execution of a coup attempt to seize control of election management authority." Jo Eun-seok, the head of the special prosecutor's team, stated at a press briefing that "'Collect (arrest), shoot, induce North wind' written in Noh Sang-won's notebook is not a simple memo but evidence of martial law conspiracy."

The Democratic Party also strongly reacted. Representative Park Seon-won argued that "the Counter-Intelligence Command created a task force to arrest political figures and prepared for the kidnapping and assassination of key individuals." Representative Kim Byung-ju emphasized that "there are circumstances suggesting the Counter-Intelligence Command attempted to seize control of the Election Commission's servers." The statements of these two representatives became the core basis for the Democratic Party's designation of the martial law as a "coup."

"Why the Election Commission Specifically?"

What puzzled the public the most at the time was precisely this point. Why the Election Commission, rather than powerful institutions like the National Assembly, the National Police Agency, or broadcasting stations? The actual number of martial law troops deployed further deepened this mystery.

△ Troops deployed to the National Assembly: 280

△ Central Election Commission, Gwacheon: 297

△ Election Training Institute, Suwon: 130

More troops were concentrated in facilities related to the Election Commission than in the National Assembly.

▲ Democratic Party's interpretation: An attempted coup to seize control of election management and prevent a change in government.

▲ Conservative camp's interpretation: The Election Commission's network was already a target of repeated external hacking and infiltration attempts, and it was part of an operation to arrest a Chinese spy ring.

In other words, the same numbers and the same scene led to diametrically opposed interpretations.

Democratic Party's Backlash and Conservative Counterarguments

Immediately after Heo Gyeom's report, the Democratic Party protested, calling it "false reporting" and "mud-slinging." This was because if the coup narrative faltered, the legitimacy of impeachment and the special investigation team's probe would also be undermined. Conversely, the conservative camp retorted that "if the report is true, the coup claims collapse."

Specifically, the Democratic Party's narrative, which presented the "deployment of troops to the Election Commission on December 3rd" as evidence of a coup, could be recontextualized by Heo's report as a completely different scenario: "the apprehension of a Chinese spy ring." Therefore, the Democratic Party's fierce backlash was a political defense aimed at preserving the coup narrative.

Two Narratives, One Event

There are currently two major, and three minor, narratives surrounding the December 3rd martial law.

Democratic Party/Special Prosecutor Narrative: The martial law was the execution of a coup.

Conservative Camp Narrative: The martial law was a product of political pressure.

Heo Gyeom's Report Narrative: The martial law was a national security operation to apprehend a spy ring.

These three narratives all address the same event but speak of entirely different truths. It is this conflict that leaves December 3rd as the biggest unsolved mystery in Korean political history to this day.

December 3rd Remains an Open Question

December 3rd remains unclarified, coexisting in two, or perhaps three, distinct narratives. The Democratic Party presents the coup narrative, the conservative camp presents the political pressure narrative, and Heo's report presents the national security crisis narrative.

Ultimately, the question that remains is: "Was the martial law a coup that undermined the constitutional order, or a secret operation to protect the nation?"

The truth is still buried in the courts and in history, and the process of finding that answer is the greatest challenge that Korean society will face moving forward.

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