Seoul, South Korea — South Korea’s former defense minister was stopped from attempting suicide while in custody last week. declaration of martial lawofficials said Wednesday, as President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office resisted a police attempt to search the compound.
The Democratic Party, the main liberal opposition party, is pushing for a new motion to impeach Yoon over his Dec. 3 decree that imposed martial law in South Korea for the first time in more than four decades. His first impeachment attempt against Yoon last Saturday failed after ruling party lawmakers boycotted the vote. The party said it planned to submit the new motion on Thursday to hold another vote this Saturday.
Yoon’s ill-conceived takeover paralyzed South Korean politics, froze its foreign policy and shook financial markets. Wednesday, compete with North KoreaThe country’s state media first reported unrest at the border, but the country showed no suspicious activity.
Shin Yong Hae, commissioner general of the Korean Correctional Service, told lawmakers that former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun attempted suicide the previous night at a detention center in Seoul. He said corrections officers arrested him and his condition was stable. Kim was arrested by prosecutors Wednesday morning on allegations of a key role in a rebellion and abuse of power. He became the first person officially arrested following the martial law decree.
Kim Soo-hyeon/Reuters
Kim, one of Yoon’s close aides, was accused of recommending martial law to Yoon and sending troops to the National Assembly to prevent lawmakers from voting on the law. Enough lawmakers eventually managed to enter a chamber of Parliament and unanimously rejected Yoon’s decree, forcing the government to lift it before dawn on December 4.
Kim said in a statement Tuesday that he “deeply apologizes for causing significant anxiety” to the public. He said all responsibility for imposing martial law rested with him and pleaded for leniency for soldiers deployed to enforce it.
Prosecutors have up to 20 days to determine whether to charge Kim.
Later on Wednesday, police arrested National Police Commissioner General Cho Ji Ho and Kim Bong-sik, chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police. They were accused of deploying police forces to Parliament to prevent lawmakers from voting.
The aim of the investigation is to determine whether Yoon, Kim and others involved in the imposition of martial law committed the act of rebellion. In South Korea, a conviction for rebellion carries the maximum penalty of death.
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South Korean police said they sent officers to search Yoon’s office on Wednesday for evidence related to the introduction of martial law. But investigators had failed to enter the office by Wednesday evening, about six hours after their arrival, senior police officer Lee Ho-young told parliament. Some observers had previously said presidential security services were unlikely to authorize any search of Yoon’s office, citing a law that prohibits searches of sites containing state secrets without approval from area officials. in question.
Yoon Saturday apologized for the martial law decreeasserting that he would not escape legal or political responsibility. He said he would leave it to his party to chart a path forward through the country’s political turmoil, “including issues related to my tenure.”
The head of Yoon’s ruling party then pledged to arrange a stable exit for the president, saying the party would coordinate with cabinet members on state affairs and that Yoon would be sidelined from his functions. The comments have been criticized as unrealistic and unconstitutional, and have sparked many questions about who is leading South Korea and its military at a time of crisis. increased tensions with North Korea. The Justice Department on Tuesday barred Yoon from leaving the country while he is under investigation.
Vice Defense Minister Kim Seon Ho reiterated Wednesday that Yoon remains in charge of the military. But Yoon has not been involved in any major official activities since the lifting of martial law, except for accepting resignation offers from officials involved in the martial law case and appointing the chief of the country’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
A report published Wednesday by the North Korean news agency reported on political chaos in South Korea and protests sparked by Yoon’s martial law decree. The report primarily attempted to explain the events in South Korea, although it called Yoon a “traitor” and his military “gangsters.”
Many experts say North Korea is sensitive to domestic broadcasting of information about major anti-government protests in foreign countries because its own people do not have official access to international information and could be affected by such events. The U.S. State Department said Monday that the U.S.-South Korean alliance remains “ironclad” and that Washington is committed to the peace and security of the Korean Peninsula.
In his martial law announcement, conservative Yoon stressed the need to rebuild the country by eliminating “unabashed North Korea supporters and anti-state forces,” a reference to his liberal rivals who control Parliament. Since taking office in 2022, Yoon has had near-constant friction with the Democratic Party, which has introduced motions to impeach some of its top officials and launched a political offensive following scandals involving Yoon and his wife.
Opposition parties and many experts believe the martial law decree was unconstitutional. They say a president is legally allowed to declare martial law only in times of war or similar emergencies, but South Korea was in no such predicament. They argue that deploying troops to seal the National Assembly to suspend its political activities amounts to rebellion because the constitution does not allow a president to use the military to suspend Parliament in any situation.
If Yoon is impeached, his presidential powers will be suspended until the Constitutional Court decides whether to restore his powers or remove him from office. If he is removed from office, a new presidential election would be necessary.
