Ex-defense chief in South Korea tried to kill himself after being arrested over martial law
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s previous defense minister was stopped from attempting suicide while in detention over last week’s martial law declaration, officials said Wednesday, as President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office resisted a police attempt to search the compound.
The main liberal opposition Democratic Party is pushing for a new motion to impeach Yoon for his Dec. 3 decree that imposed martial law in South Korea for the first time in more than four decades. Its first impeachment attempt against Yoon last Saturday failed after ruling party lawmakers boycotted the vote. The party said it plans to submit the new motion on Thursday to set up a vote on Saturday.
Yoon’s ill-conceived power grab has paralyzed South Korean politics, frozen its foreign policy and rattled financial markets. On Wednesday, rival North Korea’s state media for the first time reported about the turmoil across the border, but the country hasn’t shown any suspicious activities.
Shin Yong Hae, commissioner general of the Korea Correctional Service, told lawmakers that former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun tried to kill himself the previous night at a detention center in Seoul. He said correctional officers stopped him and that he was in stable condition.
Kim was arrested by prosecutors early Wednesday on allegations of playing a key role in a rebellion and committing abuse of power. He became the first person formally arrested over the martial law decree.
The party of South Korea’s embattled president has refused to join an impeachment effort, instead promising an ‘orderly resignation.’
Kim, one of Yoon’s close associates, has been accused of recommending martial law to Yoon and sending troops to the National Assembly to block lawmakers from voting on it. Enough lawmakers eventually managed to enter a parliament chamber and they unanimously rejected Yoon’s decree, forcing the Cabinet to lift it before daybreak on Dec. 4.
Kim said in a statement Tuesday that he “deeply apologizes for causing significant anxiety” to the public. He said all responsibility for the martial law imposition rests with him and pleaded for leniency for soldiers deployed to enforce it.
Prosecutors have up to 20 days to determine whether to indict Kim.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law, accusing the country’s opposition of paralyzing the government. Then he backed down.
Yoon’s office blocks search of presidential compound
Also Wednesday, police detained National Police Agency Commissioner General Cho Ji Ho and Kim Bong-sik, head of Seoul’s metropolitan police. They were accused of deploying police forces to parliament to block lawmakers from voting.
The main focus of the investigation is finding whether Yoon and others involved in imposing martial law committed rebellion. A conviction for rebellion carries a maximum penalty of death.
South Korean police said they sent officers to search Yoon’s office on Wednesday to look for any evidence related to the martial law introduction. But investigators failed to enter the office as of Wednesday evening, about six hours after their arrival, senior police officer Lee Ho-young told the parliament.
Some observers earlier said that the presidential security service won’t likely permit searches of Yoon’s office, citing a law that prohibits searches of sites with state secrets without approval from those in charge of those areas.
Im Chae-moo made a small fortune as a heartthrob actor in South Korea. He spent it all on a theme park for children.
Yoon on Saturday apologized over the martial law decree and said he would leave it to his party to chart a course through the country’s political turmoil, “including matters related to my term in office.”
The leader of Yoon’s ruling party later vowed to arrange the president’s eventual exit from office, saying the party will coordinate with Cabinet members over state affairs and that Yoon will be sidelined from duties.
The comments were criticized as unrealistic and unconstitutional, and caused widespread questions about who is in charge of South Korea and its military at a time of heightened tensions with North Korea. The Justice Ministry on Tuesday banned Yoon from leaving the country as he faces investigations.
Vice Defense Minister Kim Seon Ho reiterated Wednesday that Yoon remains in charge of the military. But Yoon hasn’t been involved in any major official activities since lifting martial law.
A view from North Korea
A Wednesday article from the North’s state news agency reported about the South Korean political chaos and protests triggered by Yoon’s martial law decree. The report mostly attempted to explain the South Korean events, and called Yoon “a traitor” and his military “gangsters.”
Many experts say North Korea is sensitive to the domestic spread of news on major antigovernment protests in foreign countries, because its own people have no official access to international news and could be affected by such events. The U.S. State Department said Monday that the U.S.-South Korean alliance remains “iron-clad” and that Washington is committed to the peace and security of the Korean Peninsula.
Proponents of nuclear armament in South Korea argue that the country should not rely on the U.S. for protection. Trump’s victory has given them a boost.
In his martial law announcement, the conservative Yoon stressed a need to rebuild the country by eliminating “shameless North Korea followers 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 introduced motions to impeach some of his top officials and launched a political offensive over scandals involving Yoon and his wife.
Tong-Hyung and Kim write for the Associated Press.
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