Park An-su

In this Korean name, the family name is Park.

Park An-su (Korean: 박안수; Hanja: 朴安洙;^[2] born 28 May 1968) is a South Korean army general who served as the Chief of Staff of the Army from 31 October 2023 until his suspension on 12 December 2024.^[3] He was the Martial Law Commander of the 2024 martial law declaration under President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Park An-su
박안수
Chief of Staff of the Army
In office 31 October 2023 – 12 December 2024
President	Yoon Suk Yeol
Preceded by	Park Jeong-hwan
Succeeded by	Go Chang-jun
Personal details
Born	(1968-05-28) 28 May 1968 (age 57) Cheongdo, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea[1]
Alma mater	Korea Military Academy
Military service
Allegiance	South Korea
Branch	Republic of Korea Army
Service years	1990–present
Rank	General

Career

Chief of Staff

In May 2024, Park travelled to the United States to attend the Land Forces Pacific Symposium.^[4]

Martial Law Commander

At 22:23 on 3 December, Yoon began making his emergency address to the nation, and at 22:27, declared martial law.^[5] Park was appointed by Yoon as Martial Law Commander the same day.^[6]

At 23:25 the same day, Park issued the following decree which retroactively took effect at 23:00:^[7][8][9]

Martial Law Command proclaims the following as of 23:00 on 3 December 2024, in order to protect liberal democracy from anti-state forces active within the free Republic of Korea and their threats to subvert the state, and to ensure public safety.

1. All political activities, including activities of the National Assembly, local councils, political parties, and political association, rallies and demonstrations, are prohibited.
2. All acts that deny or attempt to overthrow the free democratic system are prohibited. The dissemination of fake news, manipulation of public opinion, and false propaganda are prohibited.
3. All media and publications are subject to the control of Martial Law Command.
4. Strikes, work stoppages, and rallies that incite social chaos are prohibited.
5. Trainee doctors and all other medical personnel, who are on strike or have left their worksites, must return to their positions within 48 hours and work faithfully. Those who violate the order will face punishment in accordance with the Martial Law Act.
6. Innocent ordinary citizens, excluding anti-state forces and other subversive forces, will be subject to measures to minimize inconvenience in their daily lives.

Violators of the proclamation may be arrested, detained and searched without a warrant in accordance with Article 9 of the Martial Law Act (Special Measures Authority of the Martial Law Commander), and will be punished in accordance with Article 14 of the Martial Law Act (Penalties).

— Martial Law Commander, Army General Park An-su

Yoon's martial law decree went further than those of previous military dictators by suspending the National Assembly. However, Yoon's decree stopped short of ordering curfews or the closure of universities.^[10]

At 01:02 on 4 December, 190 legislators who had arrived at the National Assembly Proceeding Hall unanimously passed a motion to lift martial law,^[11] despite attempts by the Republic of Korea Army Special Warfare Command to prevent the vote. At 04:30, Yoon and his cabinet lifted martial law and soon disbanded the Martial Law Command.

Arrest

On 5 December 2024, Park told lawmakers that he did not write the martial law declaration, and before approving a draft of the declaration, he only fixed "an error with [the] stated timing".^[12] He also said he was unaware of soldiers being deployed to the National Assembly.^[13] Park also submitted his resignation to Yoon, which was rejected.^[14] On 12 December, Park was suspended as Chief of Staff of the Army as a result of the 2024 martial law declaration.

On 17 December 2024, Park was arrested for insurrection and abuse of power with a court-issued warrant, becoming the fifth to be arrested on the matter of the martial law declaration.^[15]

Park was indicted on insurrection charges on 25 February 2025.^[16]