Concerns Over 'Empty Minutes' of Pre-Martial Law Cabinet Meeting... National Archives Conducts Reality Check

No 'Summary of Remarks' in Ministry of the Interior and Safety's Response
Presidential Office Specifies "Does Not Possess"
National Archives and Presidential Archives Conduct Reality Check

It has been confirmed that the presidential office does not possess the minutes containing the verbatim records of statements made during the Cabinet meeting held before the declaration of martial law on December 3. In response, the National Archives and Records Service and the Presidential Archives have launched an inspection of records related to the declaration of martial law, targeting the presidential office, Ministry of National Defense, and other agencies.

According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on the 12th, the National Archives, together with the Presidential Archives, will form a 28-member inspection team to conduct a six-day inspection of records from the 12th to the 19th. The National Archives will inspect 12 agencies including the Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of the Interior and Safety, National Intelligence Service, National Police Agency, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, Army, Navy, Air Force Headquarters, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Defense Security Command, and the 3707th Unit of the Armed Forces. The Presidential Archives will be responsible for inspecting the records management status of three agencies: the Presidential Secretariat, the National Security Office, and the Presidential Security Service.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is attending the Cabinet meeting held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno, Seoul, on November 12. Photo by Jo Yong-jun

This inspection is a follow-up to the official letter sent by the National Archives to each agency on the 6th, titled "Request for Thorough Cooperation in Managing Records Related to the Declaration of Martial Law on December 3." The letter requested that all records related to martial law, including Cabinet meeting minutes, actions taken by each ministry, CCTV footage, and all other records, not be discarded but be thoroughly preserved.

Earlier, on the 6th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety requested the presidential office and the Ministry of National Defense to provide the minutes related to the declaration of martial law, but it was announced the previous day that the response materials did not contain verbatim records or summaries of statements. The presidential office explicitly stated "not in possession" regarding the summary of statements from the Cabinet meeting held before the declaration. The Ministry of National Defense also replied that no materials were prepared concerning the agenda related to the declaration of martial law.

The reason why it is now impossible to even determine who prepared the minutes or whether they exist is that the Legislative Affairs Office of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety did not attend the Cabinet meeting on martial law declaration. Typically, the Cabinet meetings are operated and minutes are prepared by the Legislative Affairs Office of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. There has never been a Cabinet meeting in this government where the Legislative Affairs Office did not attend. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety's position is that the Cabinet meeting related to the declaration of martial law was convened suddenly, and the Legislative Affairs Office was not even notified to attend, so they could not prepare the minutes. It has not yet been accurately determined who prepared the minutes or whether any recordings exist. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety has re-requested materials from the presidential office and others, but concerns have been raised that if the records are not actually held, it may be difficult to properly clarify whether there was opposition from Cabinet members before martial law or whether there was prior collusion.

In the National Assembly, criticism has been raised that the meeting before the declaration of martial law did not meet the requirements of a Cabinet meeting due to the lack of proper minutes. Yoon Gun-young, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, asked Prime Minister Han Duck-soo during an emergency question session at the National Assembly the previous day, "Was a legal Cabinet meeting held before the declaration of martial law? Were records, verbatim transcripts, opening declarations, and closing declarations made?" He further asked, "Is it correct to say that the Cabinet meeting that declared martial law was not a Cabinet meeting?" Prime Minister Han responded, "I agree with the member's statement."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.