South Korean Ex-Defence Minister Officially Arrested Over Alleged Martial Law Collusion

A former South Korean defence minister has formally been arrested over allegations of colluding with President Yoon Suk Yeol and others to impose martial law last week, with authorities investigating whether their actions amounted to rebellion.

The martial law, which was the first in over four decades, lasted just six hours but sparked widespread protests and outrage within the country. Both President Yoon and his associates are now facing criminal probes and potential impeachment efforts. The Justice Ministry has imposed a travel ban on Yoon and eight other individuals, viewing them as key suspects in the martial law incident. This marks the first time in South Korean history that a sitting president has been subject to such a ban.

The Seoul Central District Court confirmed it had authorised the arrest of former Defence Minister Kim Yong Hyun on charges of rebellion and abuse of power.

Kim has been in detention since Sunday, and prosecutors have up to 20 days to decide whether to charge him. If convicted of rebellion, Kim could face the death penalty.

Kim became the first person to be arrested in connection with the case, accused of recommending the imposition of martial law to President Yoon and sending troops to the National Assembly to prevent lawmakers from voting on the decree. Despite these efforts, enough lawmakers managed to enter the parliament building and unanimously voted to reject Yoon’s order, forcing the Cabinet to revoke it before dawn on December 4.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Kim expressed his deep regret for causing significant public distress and stated that he alone was responsible for the martial law decision. He also pleaded for leniency for the soldiers who carried out the order, asserting they were merely following his instructions.

The opposition-dominated parliament passed a bill on Tuesday to appoint an independent special counsel to investigate President Yoon and other senior military figures over martial law. The Democratic Party, which controls the opposition, argued that public prosecutors could not be trusted to conduct an impartial investigation, given Yoon’s former role as prosecutor-general.

During a parliamentary hearing on Tuesday, Kwak Jong-keun, the commander of the Army Special Warfare Command, testified that he had received direct orders from Kim Yong Hyun to prevent lawmakers from entering the National Assembly’s main chamber. Kwak explained that the aim was to block the 150 votes needed to overturn Yoon’s martial law order.

Kwak added that Yoon had later called him, instructing him to “quickly destroy the door and drag out the lawmakers inside.” However, after discussions, they concluded that such measures were not feasible, ruling out the use of force or other extreme tactics.

In the same hearing, senior military counterintelligence officer Kim Dae-woo revealed that his superior, Yeo In-hyung, had inquired whether there was space in an army bunker to detain political figures after martial law was imposed. Yeo, who is closely linked to Kim Yong Hyun, is among those facing rebellion charges, as are Kwak and several others, including President Yoon. The Defence Ministry suspended both Kwak and Yeo last week.

Yoon narrowly avoided impeachment on Saturday after most lawmakers from his governing party boycotted the National Assembly vote. The Democratic Party announced plans for a new vote on Yoon’s impeachment this coming Saturday. The party also submitted motions to impeach Yoon’s police chief and justice minister and sought the impeachment of Kim Yong Hyun and the safety minister, both of whom resigned before the vote could take place.

Frances Ibiefo

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