Seoul, South Korea – South Korea's former defense minister was prevented from attempting suicide while in custody over the past week declaration of martial lawofficials said Wednesday, and President Yoon Suk Yeol's office resisted a police attempt to search the building.
The main opposition Liberal Democratic Party is pushing for a new move to impeach Yoon for his Dec. 3 order that imposed martial law in South Korea for the first time in more than four decades. His first impeachment attempt against Yoon failed last Saturday after ruling party lawmakers boycotted the vote. The party said it plans to table the new motion on Thursday to set up another vote this Saturday.
Yoon's ill-fated power grab has paralyzed South Korean politics, frozen its foreign policy and roiled financial markets. Wednesday, rival North KoreaState media reported for the first time about the disturbance across the border, but the country has not revealed any suspicious activity.
Shin Yong Hae, the high commissioner of the Korean Correctional Service, told lawmakers that former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun tried to kill himself the night before at a detention center in Seoul. He said correctional officers restrained him and he was in stable condition. Kim was arrested by prosecutors early Wednesday on charges of playing a leading role in a rebellion and abusing power. He was the first person to be formally arrested under martial law.
Kim Soo-hyeon/REUTERS
Kim, one of Yoon's associates, has been accused of proposing martial law to Yoon and sending troops to the National Assembly to prevent lawmakers from voting on it. Eventually enough lawmakers managed to enter the parliament chamber and unanimously rejected Yoon's order, forcing him to dissolve the Cabinet before dawn on December 4.
Kim said in a statement on Tuesday that he “profoundly apologizes for causing great concern” to the public. He said all responsibility for martial law rests with him and pleaded for mercy for soldiers. which were used to implement it.
Prosecutors have up to 20 days to decide whether to charge Kim.
Later on Wednesday, police arrested National Police Agency Commissioner Cho Ji Ho and Kim Bong-sik, chief of the Seoul metropolitan police. They were accused of sending police forces to parliament to prevent lawmakers from voting.
The focus of the investigation is to determine whether Yoon, Kim and others involved in martial law committed an act of rebellion. A conviction for rebellion carries the maximum death penalty in South Korea.
Kim Hong-Ji / REUTERS
South Korean police said they sent officers to search Yoon's office on Wednesday to look for any evidence related to the introduction of martial law. But investigators had not entered the office by Wednesday night, about six hours after they arrived, senior police officer Lee Ho-young told parliament. Some observers earlier said it was unlikely the presidential security service would allow any search of Yoon's office, citing a law that prohibits searches of sites with state secrets without permission from those which is in charge of these areas.
Yoon Saturday apologize for ordering martial lawsaying that he will not avoid legal or political responsibility for it. He said he would leave it to his party to chart a course through the country's political turmoil, “including issues related to my time in office. “
Ruling party leader Yoon later vowed that the president would step down permanently, saying the party would coordinate with Cabinet members on state affairs and Yoon removed from duties. The comments were criticized as impractical and unconstitutional, and led to widespread questions about who is in charge of South Korea and its military at a time of heightened tensions with North Korea. The Ministry of Justice banned Yoon from leaving the country on Tuesday as he faces investigations.
Deputy Defense Minister Kim Seon Ho confirmed on Wednesday that Yoon remains in command of the military. But Yoon has not been involved in any major official activities since lifting martial law, other than accepting resignation offers from officials involved in the martial law issue and appointing a chief for the country's Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
A Wednesday article from the North's state news agency reported on South Korea's political chaos and protests that prompted Yoon's martial law order. The report mostly tried to explain the events in South Korea, although it called Yoon a “traitor” and his military “gangsters”.
Many experts say that North Korea is sensitive to the domestic spread of news of major anti-government protests in foreign countries, as its own people do not have official access to international news and such events could have an impact. take them. The US State Department said on Monday that the alliance between the US and South Korea remains “iron-clad” and that Washington is committed to the peace and security of the Korean Peninsula.
In his martial law announcement, Warden Yoon stressed the need to rebuild the country by eliminating “shameless North Korean followers and anti-state forces,” referring to his liberal rivals who control parliament. Since taking office in 2022, Yoon has been a near-constant with the Democratic Party, which has introduced moves to impeach some of its top officials and launched a political offensive over scandals which included Yoon and his wife.
The opposition parties and many experts say that the martial law order was unconstitutional. They say that under the law a president is allowed to declare martial law only during war or similar emergency situations, but that South Korea was not in such a difficult situation. They argue that using soldiers to seal off the National Assembly to suspend its political activities was a coup because the constitution does not allow a president to use the weapon to suspend the parliament under any circumstances.
If Yoon is impeached, his presidential powers would be suspended until the Constitutional Court decides whether to restore his powers or remove him from office . If he is removed from office, the election of a new president would be necessary.
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