South Korea’s former defense minister was stopped from attempting suicide while in detention over last week’s martial law case, officials said, as police were trying to search President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office Wednesday in their intensifying investigation
The main liberal opposition Democratic Party plans to submit a new motion to impeach Yoon for his Dec. 3 declaration 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, since ruling party lawmakers boycotted a floor vote.
Yoon’s extreme power move has thrown South Korean politics into disarray, stalled its foreign policy efforts, and unsettled financial markets.
On Wednesday, North Korea’s state media broke its silence on the crisis, highlighting the turmoil, though no unusual activities have been observed from the regime so far.
What Were the Circumstances of Defense Minister Kim’s Suicide Attempt?
Shin Yong Hae, commissioner general of the Korea Correctional Service, informed lawmakers on Wednesday that Kim attempted suicide the previous night at a detention center in Seoul. He stated that detention center officials intervened to stop the attempt and confirmed that Kim is now in stable condition.
During the parliamentary committee meeting, Justice Minister Park Sung Jae also confirmed that Kim had attempted to take his life.
Kim was taken into custody early Wednesday following a Seoul court’s approval of a warrant accusing him of orchestrating a rebellion and abusing his authority. His arrest marks the first formal detention tied to the martial law decree.
How Has North Korea Responded to Martial Law in South Korea?
North Korea ended its silence on South Korea’s political crisis with its state media accusing the South Korean president of imposing a “dictatorship on the people”—a statement from the one party Communist nation that was notably lacking any hint of irony.
The government statement released on Wednesday by North Korea’s state-run KCNA news agency, said “The puppet Yoon Suk Yeol, who had already faced a serious crisis of governance and impeachment, declared martial law unexpectedly and unleashed the guns of the fascist dictatorship on the people.”
The KCNA statement described the South’s embattled president as committing an “insane” act and called Yoon’s country a “gangster nation.”
How Long Was South Korea Under Martial Law?
Kim, a close ally of Yoon, is accused of advising the president to impose martial law and deploying troops to the National Assembly to prevent lawmakers from voting on the decree.
Despite these efforts, enough lawmakers managed to convene in the parliamentary chamber, unanimously rejecting Yoon’s declaration.
The Cabinet was then compelled to revoke the martial law before dawn on Dec. 4, ending Yoon’s six hour long military rule.
In a statement on Tuesday, Kim expressed his “deep apologies for causing significant anxiety” to the public. He claimed full responsibility for the imposition of martial law and urged leniency for the soldiers who were deployed to enforce it.
Prosecutors now have up to 20 days to decide whether to formally indict Kim.
Has Anyone Else Been Arrested For Yoon’s Martial Law Declaration?
Later on Wednesday, National Police Agency Commissioner General Cho Ji Ho and Kim Bong-sik, chief of Seoul’s metropolitan police agency, were detained in connection with the martial law case, police confirmed.
They are accused of deploying police forces alongside troops to the National Assembly in an attempt to block lawmakers from voting.
South Korea’s primary law enforcement agencies are investigating whether Yoon, Kim, and others involved in the martial law declaration committed the crime of rebellion, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of death upon conviction.
On Wednesday, police stated they had dispatched officers to search Yoon’s office for evidence related to the imposition of martial law. However, it was not immediately clear whether the searches had commenced.
Who Is Currently in Charge of South Korea?
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Vice Defense Minister Kim Seon Ho confirmed that Yoon remains in command of South Korea’s military forces.
However, since lifting martial law, Yoon has largely refrained from major official activities, aside from accepting resignations from officials implicated in the martial law case and appointing a new head for the country’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
source: newsweek.com/south-korea-defense-minister-suicide-martial-law
