A Democratic Party lawmaker refuted claims Wednesday that the martial law decree of Dec. 3 involved plans to assassinate Han Dong-hoon, who was the ruling People Power Party leader two days ago.
Kim Ou-joon, a controversial broadcaster who is best known for his Democratic Party of Korea-leaning political commentary, claimed last week a squad comprising agents from an elite Army intelligence unit on North Korean missions intended to arrest Han and then assassinate him.
Democratic Party Rep. Huh Young of the national defense committee told The Korea Herald that he found what Kim said at the Assembly meeting “inappropriate.”
“I don’t know if that information is any credible. I think there should have been thorough fact-checking before suggesting something of that degree,” he said.
In an internal report written on Dec. 14, seen by The Korea Herald on Wednesday, the lawmaker said it was unlikely that the unit dressing themselves as North Korean soldiers would fool the US. Kim had claimed that the squad tasked with assassinating Han would wear North Korean military gear in an attempt to disguise the act as one carried out by Pyongyang.
Ruling party Rep. Lim Jong-deuk, who was the deputy national adviser, said the authenticity of Kim’s claims was “incredibly questionable.”
“It is irresponsible to make such incendiary claims that can create misunderstandings in our relationship with our ally (the US),” he told The Korea Herald.
During a Dec. 13 meeting of the National Assembly's broadcasting and communications committee, Kim claimed that diplomatic sources informed him some intelligence and military officials alleged President Yoon Suk Yeol, after imposing martial law, intended to arrest then-ruling party leader Han and Democratic Party leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung. Kim is the first to suggest the president planned to assassinate Han. Kim then declined to disclose sources.
Along with Han, the squad would also kill a few US soldiers to get Washington, believing that this was done by North Korea, to strike Pyongyang, Kim claimed.
Kim has a history of fronting baseless claims such as election fraud.
He produced a 2017 independent documentary “The Plan” based on the unproven assumption that the 2012 presidential election was rigged to hand a victory to former conservative President Park Geun-hye.
In another documentary titled “Intention,” released in 2018, he raised suspicions that the Sewol ferry disaster, in which hundreds died, was intentionally sunk by unknown forces.
