Speaking at his confirmation hearing at the National Assembly, Kang said he felt a “deep sense of responsibility” as one of the military’s highest-ranking officers at the time and apologized to the public.
Kang was serving as deputy commander of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command and was a four-star Army general when martial law was declared.
His remarks came after Rep. Kim Byung-joo of the ruling Democratic Party said Kang could not entirely avoid moral or political responsibility given his senior position in the military.
Then-President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, sending troops to the National Assembly. Lawmakers voted to lift the decree, and Yoon ended martial law several hours later. The Constitutional Court removed him from office in April 2025.
Kang responded that the military had undermined the constitutional order and said he bore responsibility as one of its most senior officers, even though he was outside the chain of command involved in the martial law operation.
The presidential office said when Kang was nominated that a government task force and a Defense Ministry audit had found no evidence that he was involved in the martial law operation.
Kang also used the hearing to signal that he intends to continue the government’s military education reform agenda, including plans to integrate the Army, Navy and Air Force academies.
“I have the will to reform the military academies,” Kang said when asked whether he remained committed to creating an integrated military academy.
The Lee Jae Myung administration has proposed creating a four-year integrated military academy at the Jaundae military complex in Daejeon, bringing together the three service academies under a new structure. The proposal has faced opposition from some retired officers and academy alumni.
Kang, a graduate of the Korea Military Academy, said the priority should be producing capable officers rather than focusing on criticism of the reform.
“The current plan is not complete in my view,” Kang said, adding that there are multiple ways to pursue integration and that different opinions should be considered before a final model is settled.
Kang also voiced support for the transfer of wartime operational control, or OPCON, from the United States to South Korea, another major defense issue facing the next minister.
He said the process has been pursued by successive governments and that South Korea has made significant progress in meeting the conditions required for the transfer.
“The conditions have been substantially met, and I believe the environment is now in place,” Kang said.
Kang is among six Cabinet nominees named in President Lee Jae Myung’s Aug. 30 reshuffle, with the National Assembly holding a series of confirmation hearings this week for key ministerial posts.
AJP Takeaways
- Defense Minister nominee Kang Shin-chul apologized for the military’s role during the Dec. 3, 2024 martial law declaration.
- Kang backed military academy reform but said the current merger plan needs further review.
- He also supported the conditions-based transfer of wartime operational control to South Korea.
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