Seoul:
Kim Yong-hyun, former South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who was accused of playing a leading role in the failed imposition of martial law on December 3, attempted suicide shortly before he was formally arrested . The Minister of Defense, who resigned last Thursday, had been detained since Sunday. He was formally arrested on Tuesday.
At a parliamentary hearing, the commissioner general of the Korea Correctional Service said Mr. Kim tried to commit suicide minutes before his arrest was announced.
“Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun attempted suicide shortly before midnight at Dongbu Detention Center in Seoul,” an AFP report quoted Shin Yong-hae as saying.
According to the official, Mr. Kim had tried to commit suicide in the toilet using a piece of string from his clothing.
According to a Reuters report, the former defense minister used underwear to commit suicide, adding that he was under observation and his life was not currently in danger.
Kim is under investigation on charges of insurrection related to President Yoon Suk Yeol's brief declaration of martial law. He has now been arrested on charges including “exercising crucial functions during an insurrection” and “abuse of authority to obstruct the exercise of rights”, according to an AFP report.
According to the report, Kim's formal arrest came amid concerns that evidence could be destroyed. It was determined that the former minister's alleged crimes “fall within the scope of crimes for which the prosecutor can investigate,” a court spokesman said early Wednesday.
Mr. Kim expressed contrition on Tuesday, saying through his lawyers that “all responsibility for this situation lies solely with me.” He also “deeply apologized” to the South Korean people and said his subordinates were “merely following my orders and fulfilling their assigned duties.”
Martial law in South Korea
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol suspended civilian rule a week ago and sent special forces and helicopters to parliament, before lawmakers forced him to withdraw the decree in a country believed to be a stable democracy. The brief declaration of martial law plunged Asia's fourth-largest economy and a key US ally into a constitutional crisis.
Earlier Tuesday, Kwak Jong-geun, head of the Army Special Warfare Command, told lawmakers that Yoon had instructed him to stop enough lawmakers from gathering in parliament to reject the martial law decree.
On Wednesday, in a dramatic escalation of the investigation against Yoon, South Korean police said they had raided the president's office. Yoon is already under a travel ban as part of an “insurrection” investigation into his inner circle following his brief suspension of civilian rule on December 3.
The president has not been seen in public since he apologized on Saturday for his attempts to impose martial law.
In addition to the former defense minister, two top police officials were also taken into custody on Wednesday as investigations into the political unrest caused by the declaration of martial law gathered pace.
Meanwhile, the leadership crisis worsened with questions over who runs the country and the main opposition party planning to hold a second impeachment vote in parliament on Saturday. Some members of the president's People Power Party (PPP) also spoke in favor of the motion, which failed in the first vote on December 7.
