The Commissioner General of the South Korean Prison Service, Shin Yong-hae, announced that former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, stationed during the failed attempt to establish martial law in the country, tried to end his life, in detention, minutes before the announcement of his formal arrest.
Tuesday, December 10 shortly before midnight (4 p.m., in Paris), “Kim Yong-hyun attempted suicide at Dongbu Detention Center in Seoul”Shin Yong-hae said Wednesday during a parliamentary hearing.
He tried to hang himself, the justice ministry explained in a statement sent to Agence France-Presse (AFP). Supervisors then intervened “and when they opened the door, he immediately gave up his attempt”explained Mr. Shin. The former minister is currently under protection, he continued. “The results of the medical examination show that the detainee's state of health is good, with nothing abnormal, and that he is currently living a normal life in the center”assured the Ministry of Justice.
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South Korea has been plunged into political chaos since President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed attempt to impose martial law on the night of December 3-4. He was forced to repeal it barely six hours later under pressure from Parliament, despite being surrounded by soldiers, and from the streets.
Accused of playing a role “crucial during a rebellion” and committed a “abuse of power to hinder the exercise of rights”the defense minister had resigned on Thursday and had been detained since Sunday. Kim Yong-hyun presented his “deep” apology, Tuesday, affirming through the voice of his lawyers that “full responsibility for the situation” rested solely on him. He also certified that his subordinates had “simply followed [ses] orders and carried out the tasks assigned to them”.
Ban on leaving the territory
Furthermore, the police said on Wednesday that they had notably searched President Yoon's office. “The special investigation team conducted searches at the presidential office, the National Police Agency, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and the National Assembly security department”declared this police unit in a message sent to AFP.
Yoon Suk Yeol, who stunned the country by imposing martial law by surprise, has since narrowly escaped an impeachment motion submitted to a vote by the National Assembly, saved by his party. Another vote on impeaching the president is scheduled for Saturday, December 14.
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Under investigation for “rebellion”the unpopular 63-year-old president is prohibited from leaving the country, as are the former minister of defense, the former minister of the interior and the commander of the aborted attempt at martial law.
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Cho Ji-ho, the commissioner general of the National Police Agency, and Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency chief Kim Bong-sik were also arrested early Wednesday, according to police.
North Korea's first reaction
In the morning, North Korean state media reacted for the first time. The act “shocking puppet Yoon Suk Yeol, who faces impeachment and a governance crisis, declaring a decree of martial law and without hesitation brandishing the guns and knives of his fascist dictatorship, has wreaked havoc throughout South Korea »they wrote.
Mr. Yoon, constantly defeated by a National Assembly largely aligned with the opposition, had justified his decision to impose martial law by his desire to protect South Korea from “North Korean communist forces” and“eliminate elements hostile to the State”. Helicopters and soldiers were deployed to Parliament to prevent MPs from meeting there and voting to lift his decree. But 190 of them managed to enter and unanimously adopt the end of this state of exception.
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Former defense minister Kim Yong-hyun was accused by opposition lawmakers of ordering drones to be sent to Pyongyang in an apparent attempt to create a casus belli with the North, which would have served as a pretext to proclaim martial law. These deputies also accused him of having called for striking launch sites for North Korean waste balloons, which flew by the thousands towards the South starting in May.
On Tuesday, a working group from Mr. Yoon's People Power Party (PPP) proposed a road map on the president's removal. Two options are being considered: the resignation of Yoon Suk Yeol in February or March, with a new presidential election in April or May. The proposal has not yet been accepted by the entire PPP.
If it were, it is nevertheless unlikely that the opposition would renounce a new impeachment motion. This only needs eight defections in the presidential party to be able to pass. During the first attempt, on December 7, only two PPP elected officials voted in favor. But on Tuesday, two others said they would do the same.
