Police raid the offices of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol: reports

Seoul: South Korean police raided the office of President Yoon Suk Yeol, a presidential security official said on Wednesday, in a widening investigation into the embattled leader’s failed attempt to impose martial law.

Separately, Kim Yong Hyun, former defence minister and a close confidant of Yoon, attempted suicide at a detention centre where he is held after being arrested, a Justice Ministry official told a parliament hearing.

The main liberal opposition Democratic Party also plans to submit a new motion to impeach Yoon for his December 3 declaration that imposed martial law.

Former defence minister Kim Yong-hyun.Credit: AP

Yoon’s ill-conceived power grab has paralysed South Korean politics, frozen its foreign policy and rattled financial markets, greatly reducing his chances of completing his five-year term and casting a turbulent shadow over one of Asia’s most robust democracies.

Shin Yong Hae, commissioner general of the Korea Correctional Service, told lawmakers Kim tried to kill himself at a detention centre in Seoul. He said Kim’s suicide attempt failed after centre officials stopped him and that he was now in a stable condition.

Kim was arrested earlier on Wednesday after a Seoul court approved a warrant for him on allegations of playing a key role in a rebellion and committing abuse of power. Kim became the first person formally arrested over the December 3 martial law decree.

South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol apologises for his actions at the presidential office in Seoul on Saturday.Credit: AP

National Police Agency commissioner-general Cho Ji Ho and Kim Bong Sik, head of the metropolitan police agency of the capital, Seoul, were detained over their actions during martial law. They are being investigated for their roles in deploying police forces to the National Assembly to block lawmakers from voting to lift Yoon’s martial law decree.

Yoon himself is now the subject of a criminal investigation on insurrection charges and is banned from leaving the country, but he has not been arrested or questioned by authorities.

The main liberal opposition Democratic Party will later on Wednesday submit a new motion to impeach Yoon as the country’s main law enforcement institutions expand their investigation into whether the president’s declaration amounted to rebellion. The first impeachment attempt failed on Saturday when the ruling party boycotted the vote. The Democratic Party said it aimed to put the new motion to a vote this Saturday.

After last week’s impeachment motion fell through, the leader of Yoon’s conservative party pledged to arrange his stable exit from power, saying the party will co-ordinate with cabinet members over state affairs and that Yoon will be sidelined from duties during a transition to an early election.

Participants gather to stage a rally demanding South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment.Credit: AP

However, the plans have been widely criticised as unrealistic and unconstitutional. The constitution explicitly states that impeachment is the sole method for suspending presidential powers and that the authority to command the military rests solely with the president. The Defence Ministry said this week that Yoon remained in charge of the country’s military forces.

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. If he is dismissed from office, a new presidential election would be required.

On Wednesday, North Korea’s state news agency for the first time reported about the political turmoil and street protests triggered by Yoon’s martial law decree. The report mostly attempted to explain the South Korean events, though it used its typical abusive language, such as calling Yoon “a traitor” and his military “gangsters”.

Many experts say North Korea is sensitive to the domestic spread of news on huge anti-government protests in foreign countries because its own people have no official access to international news and could be affected by such events.

AP, Reuters

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