South Korea's former defense minister Kim Yong-hyun reportedly attempted suicide while in police custody on Tuesday night.
Kim resigned Last Thursday, a senior official lost his job for the first time since President Yun Seok-yue's disastrous attempt to impose martial law two days earlier.
Kim was the first person to do so. arrested After the debacle of martial law, it was suspended by South Korea's parliament just hours after Yun issued the order. A court in Seoul issued an arrest warrant for Kim on charges of “treason and abuse of power.”
The court ruled that it was important to take Kim into custody quickly because there was a high risk of destroying evidence. The warrant also mentions the seriousness of the charges.
South Korea's top prison officer, Shin Yong-hye, said Kim was prevented from committing suicide on Tuesday night and is currently under observation in isolation.
Shin said Mr. Kim attempted to commit suicide in the bathroom of the Seoul Dongbu Detention Center, but gave up after a prison guard opened the door. Other reports said Kim tried to strangle herself using either her clothesline or her underwear. He apparently hoped to die before his arrest was officially announced Wednesday morning.
Mr. Kim proposed martial law to Mr. Yoon and is said to have devised a plan to implement martial law, including sending the military to blockade the National Assembly's main chamber to prevent members of the National Assembly from voting to reject the president. are. As security forces broke through windows to try to stop the blockade, enough MPs resisted the blockade and voted to end martial law.
Kim was detained on Sunday and formally arrested on Wednesday. Prosecutors have 20 days to decide whether to charge him. If he is charged with treason, he could face the death penalty.
Kim issued a statement Tuesday taking full responsibility for the martial law debacle. “I deeply apologize for causing so much anxiety and inconvenience,” he said, appealing for leniency for the soldiers who were simply following orders.
South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol (left) and National Security Director Shin Won-sik (right) listen during a tripartite meeting with President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Lima, Peru, on November 15, 2024 (AP Photo) /Manuel Balce Senator)
The National Assembly, controlled by the opposition Democratic Party (Democratic Progressive Party), on Tuesday launched an investigation into the martial law crisis and the heartfelt testimony of Army Special Warfare Commander Kwak Jeong-gun.
Kwak said the order to lock down the Capitol came directly from Kim and was specifically ordered to prevent enough lawmakers from gathering at the Capitol to overturn martial law. In fact, he testified, Kim wanted his military to break down the doors to the chamber and physically “drag out the lawmakers inside.” Mr. Kwak and his commanders on the scene chose not to carry out this order, believing it could not be carried out safely.
Another senior official, military counterintelligence commander Kim Dae-woo, testified that his boss, Yeo In-hyun, inquired about the possibility of confining the congressman in the Seoul military's underground bunker. Mr. Yeo is a close aide of Mr. Kim Young-hyun.
Mr. Kwak and Mr. Yeo have both been suspended and could face sedition charges along with Mr. Kim. So was Yun himself. prohibited He is prohibited from traveling outside South Korea, and the National Police Agency is reportedly considering detaining him. The South Korean presidency includes immunity from prosecution, which is waived in cases of sedition or treason.
South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol answers questions from a reporter during a press conference at the presidential palace in Seoul, South Korea, November 7, 2024. (Kim Hong-ji/Pool Photo via AP)
The other two officials placed Under arrest In addition to Mr. Kim, the list also includes National Police Chief Cho Ji-ho and Seoul Police Chief Kim Bong-sik.
On Wednesday, police attacked Yun's office is using a search warrant that names the president as a suspect. Yun was not present at the time of the raid and has not been seen in public since Saturday.
Yun has avoided impeachment action once, but faces another impeachment vote on Saturday. Members of Yun's People's Power Party (PPP) boycotted the first vote, but some have said they may support a second motion. The impeachment bill will be passed if eight members of Yoon's party vote in favor of joining the opposition party.
