A sudden spike in the number of body bags ordered by the South Korean military has sparked intense speculation and concern, as it coincided with suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol’s controversial attempt to declare martial law in December 2023.
According to MBC, The Korea Herald and opposition lawmaker Choo Mi-ae, the Army’s body bag supply jumped from 1,826 in November to 4,940 in December—a major increase that took place just as Yoon, now on trial for insurrection and abuse of power, tried to seize military control.
“The insurrection forces weren’t just dreaming about doing evil. They thoroughly prepared for it,” Choo wrote in a Facebook post. “This shows their horrific murderous intent.”
In addition to the body bag purchase, MBC also reported that an Army official from the II Corps contacted a company last August to ask about ordering 1,000 cardboard coffins.
According to reports, the official asked how long it would take to make the coffins and even posed a hypothetical question: “What if 3,000 people died, for instance?”
Although the coffins were never ordered, the inquiry—months ahead of Yoon’s martial law order—has led to fears that the military was planning for mass casualties.
Military Says the Orders Were Routine
In response, the Army claimed the body bags were part of a scheduled delivery under a five-year procurement plan that began in 2022.
However, no public information about the plan mentioned an increase in body bag supplies. The broader 2023–2027 strategy focused mostly on areas like missile defense and military modernization, not logistics related to casualties.
Military records also show that in previous years, body bag stocks remained fairly stable:
1,106 in 2021
1,565 in 2022
1,890 in 2023
That makes the December 2023 increase of over 3,100 body bags unusual and unexplained by regular planning alone.
Disturbing Notes Found in Intelligence Commander’s Home
Adding fuel to the controversy are notes found in the home of Noh Sang-won, former head of the Defense Intelligence Command, who is accused of helping Yoon plan the martial law move.
The handwritten notes outlined a plan for the “collection” of critics, including civic leaders, judges, and politicians like Democratic Party Chair Lee Jae-myung, former President Moon Jae-in, and even conservative lawmaker Lee Jun-seok.
These individuals were labeled “A-level collection targets,” with the notes describing their potential fate using phrases like: “Accident, gas, explosion, sinking while on the way to the collection spot.”
One of the locations listed for these detentions was Oeum-ri, a remote village in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province, home to a regiment of the II Corps.
Noh has told investigators that he wrote the notes based on comments from former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who is also facing charges, but he declined to confirm what exactly was written. Forensic experts say they cannot definitively prove who wrote the notes.
