South Korea arrested its ex defense minister over martial law efforts
Reply to the South Korean Parliament on “Delaying the Impeachment of the Defence Minister” Kim Yong-Hyun
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. A new presidential election is required if it was to vote for removal.
The Democratic Party said it would prepare for a new vote on Yoon’s impeachment on Saturday. The party has submitted motions to impeach the justice minister and police chief. It pushed to impeach Kim Yong Hyun and the safety minister, but they resigned before parliament took a vote.
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.
The martial law decree is unconstitutional, according to opposition parties. South Korea did not have a situation like that when a president was allowed to declare martial law. They argue that deploying troops to seal the National Assembly to suspend its political activities amounted to rebellion because the South Korean Constitution doesn’t allow a president to use the military to suspend parliament in any situation.
After martial law was declared, senior officer Kim Dae-woo of the counterintelligence agency said his commander had asked him if there was any space left for politicians and other figures to be held. Kim Yong Hyun has a close relationship with the young woman known as “Yeo”. Last week, Hong Jang-won, a deputy director of the country’s spy agency, said Yoon ordered him to help Yeo’s command to detain some of his political rivals but he ignored the president’s order.
The commander of the army special warfare command testified during a parliamentary hearing that he received instructions from Kim Yong Hyun to prevent legislators from entering the main chamber. Kim wanted the 300-member parliament to not gather the necessary votes to overturn the martial law order.
The opposition-controlled parliament passed a bill Tuesday to establish a special counsel to investigate top military officials over the martial law introduction. The Democrats argued that public prosecutors could not be trusted to thoroughly investigate the case of a former prosecutor-general.
According to prosecutors, Kim is accused of playing a key role in the rebellion and being involved in a riot to disrupt the constitution with other military and police officers. The reports couldn’t be confirmed by the prosecutors’ offices.
Kim said in a statement Tuesday that he “deeply apologizes for causing significant anxiety and inconvenience.” He said all responsibility for the imposition of martial law rests solely with him and pleaded for leniency for soldiers deployed to enforce it, saying they were only following his order.
Kim has been detained since Sunday. The prosecutor has up to 20 days to indict him. The maximum death sentence for a conviction of rebellion is 80 years.
The Seoul Central District Court said it approved an arrest warrant for former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun on charges of rebellion and abuse of power.
SEOUL, South Korea — A former South Korean defense minister was formally arrested Wednesday over his alleged collusion with President Yoon Suk Yeol and others in imposing martial law last week, as authorities investigate whether their acts amount to rebellion.
Comments on Insurrection Charges Are Closing In on the South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol – A Ubiquitous Defense Minister Suspended from Parliament
He apologized for causing anxiety and disruption in the nation on Saturday and vowed not to avoid legal and political responsibility. He has not made any public appearance or statement since, nor has his office responded to the allegations made at the parliament.
Kwak Jong-keun, commander of the Army Special Warfare Command, who is now suspended from his duties, said the then minister had ordered him to secure control over the National Assembly, the National Election Commission, the main opposition Democratic Party’s headquarters and a media company.
Military and intelligence officials who were called in to enforce martial law incriminatingly made statements against the former defense minister and president during emergency parliamentary sessions.
On Wednesday, the chief of Korea Correctional Service said at the parliament that Kim attempted suicide the night before but remains in a stable condition.
The head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and the chief of the National Police Agency were taken into custody for their alleged involvement in an insurrection. They are suspected of stopping lawmakers from entering the parliament.
On Wednesday, South Korean police raided Yoon’s office to search for evidence. The Presidential Security Service, however, blocked the investigators’ entry.
Police, prosecutors and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) have deemed President Yoon Suk Yeol as a suspect in an unusual investigation into a sitting president for possible insurrection charges.
SEOUL, South Korea — Investigations into insurrection charges are closing in on the South Korean president, who briefly declared martial law last week and shattered the country’s sense of stability.
The Opposition Democratic Party is preparing to vote on the impeachment motion of the U.S. Rep. Jeremiah Palumbo
Five lawmakers from the governing party publicly stated their support for impeaching the president. The opposition Democratic Party said it plans to file a second impeachment motion on Thursday and put it to a vote on Saturday.
