(LEAD) 4 Army officers reportedly given 3-month suspension over martial law involvement

▲ Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back speaks during a town hall meeting attended by President Lee Jae Myung at a university in the central city of Cheonan on Dec. 5, 2025. (Yonhap)

(LEAD) martial law-disciplinary action

(LEAD) 4 Army officers reportedly given 3-month suspension over martial law involvement

(ATTN: CHANGES headline, lead; UPDATES throughout)

SEOUL, Jan. 7 (Yonhap) -- Four senior Army officials reportedly received a three-month suspension from duty Wednesday over their involvement in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched martial law bid in late 2024.

The four, believed to hold the rank of major general, were among the 34 military officers aboard two buses that departed for Seoul from the Army headquarters in Gyeryong, some 145 kilometers south of Seoul, in connection with the martial law decree announced on Dec. 3, 2024.

Without disclosing the level of punishment, the defense ministry said it has imposed "heavy" disciplinary action on the four officers. But they were slapped with a three-month suspension from duty, according to a source.

The "martial law buses" left for Seoul shortly after the National Assembly voted to lift the martial law decree but returned about 30 minutes after departure.

The 34 Army officers claimed they were aboard the buses in relation to the establishment of a martial law command. But lawmakers from the then main opposition Democratic Party raised suspicions of them being mobilized to plot a second martial law attempt.

The decision comes as the ministry convened a disciplinary committee meeting last week against six Army officers, including the four major generals, over the martial law involvement.

Of them, two others are still pending disciplinary action and undergoing relevant procedures, according to officials.

(END)

(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved