South Korean Troops Sent on Martial Law Mission—Thought They Were Heading to North Korea But It Wasn’t

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of emergency martial law prompted Special Forces troops to enter the National Assembly last Wednesday night under the mistaken belief that they were being deployed for a North Korea-related operation. The troops later revealed that they panicked upon discovering the true nature of their mission.

Last Wednesday night, Special Forces troops deployed to the National Assembly disclosed that they were not adequately briefed on their mission, even after boarding the helicopters. Chosun Ilbo shared this report on Friday.

According to the report, the Special Forces were instructed on Tuesday night that the North Korean situation was dire and that they should prepare their firearms for immediate deployment. However, they were not informed of their exact mission or the layout of the National Assembly before landing.

Some reported hearing rumors of an operation involving the Special Aviation Group as early as 4 p.m. on Tuesday, but few fully grasped the situation. One Special Forces soldier shared that they did not know their destination even as they boarded a bus. Upon reaching the National Assembly, they expressed feeling betrayed by their superiors.

A soldier from the 1st Airborne Brigade expressed regret, stating, “We deeply apologize to the citizens. I can never forget the shocked expressions on their faces. It felt like we were used for political purposes by being deployed to the National Assembly. If it had been an actual war, we would all have been killed because we did not know the National Assembly’s layout.”

One Special Forces soldier shared that they prepared their cartridges and ammunition before deployment. However, they felt disoriented upon receiving orders to head to the National Assembly just before boarding the helicopter. A said they landed without analyzing the target building’s structure or terrain, calling the situation absurd.

He stated, “Even after entering the National Assembly, we did not receive specific orders. Eventually, we were told to drag out the lawmakers, so we reluctantly broke the glass and entered the main building.”

Regarding criticisms of their lack of agility during the operation, some Special Forces soldiers explained, “We followed orders, but storming the National Assembly armed with shotguns against unarmed civilians felt excessive.” Video footage of martial law troops entering the National Assembly later sparked public criticism of the troops’ seemingly clumsy performance.

Some speculated that the Special Forces deliberately acted passively to avoid escalating into a violent confrontation with civilians.

The soldier commented, “If we had been serious, we could have controlled the situation in 10 to 15 minutes. We deliberately walked instead of running.”

Another soldier addressed allegations of martial law troops carrying live ammunition, stating, “We did not carry live rounds. We were equipped with non-lethal training ammunition (UTM), which has no killing power but causes significant pain upon impact.”

Representative Park Sun Won of the Democratic Party, a member of the National Defense Committee, revealed text messages sent to Special Forces soldiers last Wednesday. He claimed that “military leaders deceived the troops on the ground into believing they were responding to a North Korea-related situation.”

The messages reportedly included statements such as, “The North Korea situation is serious,” “You may need to deploy immediately,” and “The Minister of National Defense has stated that the 707 Special Mission Battalion will be called upon if the situation escalates.”

A military expert commented on the incident: “The military is the only legitimate institution authorized to use force. The President’s martial law order shocked the public and caused irreversible damage to the military’s loyalty and sense of duty, founded on the commitment to protect the people.”