South Korea continues to be shaken by aftershocks following the promulgation of president Yoon Suk Yeoli’s aborted marriage law. A trio of new developments have arrested the country’s two best law enforcement officers, a former defense chief attempted suicide in detention, and police attacked the president’s office — all at the same time as a second impeachment vote with a higher prospect of success looms this weekend.
Late Tuesday night, police arrested Kim Yong-hyun, South Korea’s former defense minister, who resigned Thursday after an arrest warrant was issued for his alleged role in aiding Yoon’s attempted martial law. He then tried to kill himself in the bathroom of the detention center shortly after midnight. According to a report by the Director General of the Korean Correctional Service, his attempt was thwarted by a “control room employee” and is said to be under close monitoring and in good health.
The first to be arrested because of the constitutional crisis, Kim faces charges of “performing critical duties during the uprising” and “abusing power to prevent the exercise of rights.” A guilty verdict on the insurrection charge would result in Kim being the maximum death penalty by hanging. Although his method of attempting suicide has not been disclosed, it appears that Kim wanted to skip the proceedings and manage his form of justice.
Wednesday also brought news that South Korea’s two senior law enforcement officers have been arrested on uprising charges. State Police Commissioner Cho Ji-ho and Seoul metropolitan police chief Kim Bong-sik are behind bars at Seoul’s Namdaemun police station, the South China Morning Post reports.
Two top police officers are in hot water for using police to thwart lawmakers who tried to get into the Parliament building to fight yoon’s martial law declaration. Kim, the then Minister of Defense, deployed soldiers to the same place. On Tuesday, Kim issued a statement in which he took responsibility for his actions and tried to protect subordinates from the consequences of their actions:
“All responsibility for this situation lies solely with me. My subordinates were simply faithful in following my orders and the missions given to them. I beg for leniency towards them.”
On Monday, the Justice Department banned Yoon from traveling abroad at the request of police, prosecutors and the anti-corruption agency. As the investigation intensified, police conducted a search of President Yoon’s office on Wednesday as they searched for evidence of his attempt to impose martial law and the accompanying suspension of civil liberties and government checks and balances.
The office search, which has been covered by local media but has not yet been confirmed by the police or the president’s office, as it has been written, contradicts previous assurances from observers that such a raid will be thwarted by the president’s security service. They referred to a law prohibiting searches of areas protected by state secrets without the consent of those responsible for such premises.
The rolling crisis began on December 3, when Yoon stunned South Korea and the international community with a late-night declaration of martial law, which he claimed was necessary to “rebuild and protect” the country and its “fall into the depths of national destruction.” The move came after a stalemate over the state’s 2025 budget and an attempted interrogation of three top prosecutors. In his announcement, Yoon attacked “shameless anti-state forces in North Korea who are looting the freedom and happiness of our citizens… I will eliminate anti-state forces as soon as possible and normalize the country.”
As soldiers and police surrounded the National Assembly, the speaker of South Korea’s parliament used his YouTube channel to call lawmakers. All 190 who heeded the calls voted to repeal the Martial Law Declaration. Six hours after the shocking announcement, Yoon apologized for the move and withdrew it, saying he acted out of “despair.”
Last weekend’s impeachment vote failed due to a boycott of the ruling People’s Party (PPP), but the Democratic Party (DP) announced it would restart the indictment on Saturday and some PPP members are now expressing their support. Success requires a two-thirds majority of the 300-member assembly. DP leader Lee Jae-myung expressed confidence: “The indictment train has left the platform. There’s no way you can stop it.”
