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South Korean prosecutors detain former defense chief over imposition of martial law

South Korean prosecutors detain former defense chief over imposition of martial law

Sakege08 mins

Hyung Jin Kim and Kim Tong Hyung
| Associated Press

Seoul, South Korea – South Korean prosecutors on Sunday detained a former defense minister who allegedly recommended last week’s brief but surprising imposition of martial law on President Yoon Suk Yeol, making him the first figure detained in the case.

The development came a day after Yoon fended off an opposition-led attempt to impeach him in parliament, and most ruling party lawmakers boycotted a floor vote to avoid the two-thirds majority needed to suspend his powers. presidential. The main opposition party, the Democratic Party, said it will prepare a new impeachment motion against Yoon.

On Sunday, former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun was detained in a Seoul detention center after undergoing investigation by prosecutors, a law enforcement official said, requesting anonymity according to privacy rules.

The official did not provide further details. But South Korean media reported that Kim voluntarily appeared at the Seoul prosecutor’s office, where his mobile phone was confiscated and he was detained. Reports say police searched Kim’s former office and residence on Sunday.

Repeated calls to prosecutors’ offices and the Seoul police went unanswered.

Chief prosecutor Park Se-hyun said in a televised statement on Sunday that authorities launched a 62-member special investigation team into the martial law case. Park, who will lead the team, said the investigation would “leave no suspicion.”

Yoon accepted Kim’s resignation offer on Thursday after opposition parties filed a separate impeachment motion against him.

Kim is a central figure in Yoon’s enforcement of martial law, which led to special forces troops surrounding the National Assembly building and army helicopters flying over it. The military withdrew after parliament voted unanimously to revoke Yoon’s decree, forcing his cabinet to lift it before dawn on Wednesday.

In Kim’s impeachment motion document, the Democratic Party and other opposition parties accused him of proposing martial law to Yoon. Vice Defense Minister Kim Seon Ho told parliament that Kim Yong Hyun ordered the deployment of troops to the National Assembly.

The Democratic Party called Yoon’s imposition of martial law “unconstitutional, illegal rebellion or coup d’état.” He has filed police complaints against at least nine people, including Yoon and Kim, over the alleged rebellion.

In a statement on Wednesday, Kim said that “all troops who performed martial law-related duties were acting according to my instructions, and all responsibility lies with me.”

Attorney General Shim Woo Jung told reporters Thursday that prosecutors plan to investigate rebellion charges against Yoon following the allegations. While the president largely has immunity from prosecution while in office, that does not extend to accusations of rebellion or treason.

The Defense Ministry said it suspended three senior military commanders for their alleged involvement in imposing martial law. They were among those facing accusations of rebellion leveled by the opposition.

On Saturday, Yoon apologized for the martial law decree and said he will not shirk legal or political responsibility for the statement. He said he would let his party chart a course through the country’s political turmoil, “including matters related to my mandate.”

Since taking office in 2022 for a single five-year term, Yoon has struggled to push his agenda in an opposition-controlled parliament and dealt with low approval ratings amid scandals involving him and his wife. In his martial law announcement Tuesday night, Yoon called parliament a “den of criminals” that bogs down state affairs and vowed to eliminate “shameless followers of North Korea and anti-state forces.”

The declaration of martial law was the first of its kind in more than 40 years in South Korea. The turmoil has raised alarm among key diplomatic partners such as the United States and Japan.

The dismissal of Yoon’s impeachment motion is expected to intensify protests calling for his ouster and deepen political chaos in South Korea, with a poll suggesting a majority of South Koreans support impeaching the president. Yoon’s declaration of martial law drew criticism from the ruling conservative party, but he is determined to oppose Yoon’s impeachment apparently because he fears losing the presidency to the liberals.

Ruling People Power Party leader Han Dong-hun said Sunday that the PPP will work with the government to determine Yoon’s early and orderly departure from office in a way that minimizes confusion, but did not say when that would happen. He also stated that Yoon will not participate in state affairs, including foreign policy.

Yoon’s presidential office did not immediately respond. The Democratic Party criticized Han Dong-hun’s comments, saying the exclusion of a sitting president from state affairs is not supported by the constitution. The party said authorities should immediately arrest Yoon and all others involved in the case.

The presidential office said Sunday that Yoon accepted the resignation offer of Security Minister Lee Sang-min, who also faced an opposition-led impeachment motion for his alleged role in enforcing martial law.

In a parliamentary hearing on Friday, Lee, one of Yoon’s closest aides, defended Yoon’s martial law decree, saying the president exercised his powers “within the limits of constitutional processes and the law.”

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