Choo Mi-ae: "Martial Law Was a Wake-up Call... Unlawful Orders Must Be Refused"
Ahead of the Eulji exercise beginning on the 18th, Gyeonggi Province gathered with the agencies participating in the drill to discuss cooperation measures and other matters. Governor Choo Mi-ae emphasized the importance of Gyeonggi Province's security and organic cooperation among agencies including the military, police, fire services, and local government.
On the 12th, Gyeonggi Province held the 2026 Integrated Defense Council at Yulgok Hall in the Gwanggyo Government Complex, with Governor Choo Mi-ae and representatives of major agencies in attendance.
In her opening remarks that day, Governor Choo said, “Gyeonggi Province is a border area adjacent to North Korea and the place where the largest number of citizens in the Republic of Korea reside,” explaining the importance of the province's security by adding, “The safety of Gyeonggi Province is directly linked to the safety of the metropolitan area and the entire Republic of Korea. Protecting Gyeonggi Province is protecting the Republic of Korea.”
Governor Choo continued, “Today's threats are not confined to traditional military threats alone. Drones, cyberattacks, terrorism, paralysis of national infrastructure, and complex threats that cross the boundaries between military and non-military are becoming everyday security issues,” and stressed, “The greater such crises are, the more it becomes impossible to respond with the capabilities of any single agency. The military, police, fire services, and local government must move as a single system.”
Governor Choo also referred to the declaration of emergency martial law on December 3, 2024, defining it as “a day I cannot forget. Martial law was an event that served as a great wake-up call, reminding us of how important the roles and responsibilities of state institutions are and how precious it is for each to properly keep to their own position,” and emphasized, “The greater the moment of crisis, the firmer the chain of command must be; each must faithfully keep to their duty, must know to refuse unlawful orders, and must decide and act swiftly and responsibly in response to lawful orders.”
The Integrated Defense Council is a meeting in which relevant agencies—civilian, government, military, police, and fire services—cooperate to establish and implement integrated defense measures in preparation for enemy infiltration, provocations, or the threat thereof. It is divided into regular sessions and extraordinary sessions, with regular sessions held once per quarter. This meeting was conducted as a practical drill to examine whether Gyeonggi Province's integrated defense posture actually functions ahead of the Eulji exercise.
The 2026 Eulji exercise is scheduled to be conducted over four days and three nights from the 18th to the 21st. During the exercise period, Gyeonggi Province plans to operate a ‘Wartime Comprehensive Situation Room’ within the provincial government's Chungmu facility, providing support for situation dissemination, integrated defense operations, and more.