South Korean police have raided the presidential office as part of an ongoing investigation into President Yoon Suk-yeol’s controversial martial law declaration, a move that has intensified the country’s political turmoil. The dramatic developments unfolded on Wednesday, as authorities arrested former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun and the heads of both the national and Seoul metropolitan police agencies for their alleged involvement in the short-lived decree, which has plunged South Korea into its most significant political crisis in decades.
During a parliamentary hearing, Shin Yong-hae, the commissioner-general of the Korea Correctional Service, revealed that Kim had attempted suicide in custody. Correctional officers intervened and stopped the attempt, and Kim’s condition was reported as stable. The Justice Minister, Park Sung Jae, confirmed the incident during the same session. Kim had been arrested on insurrection charges following a court-issued warrant after prosecutors raised concerns about the gravity of the crime and the potential destruction of evidence.
In addition to Kim’s arrest, Cho Ji-ho, the commissioner-general of the Korean National Police Agency, and Kim Bong-sik, the head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, were also taken into custody on insurrection charges. They were detained without a warrant and can be held for up to 48 hours before facing formal charges.
The police actions come as South Korea’s main opposition party, the liberal Democratic Party, is preparing a second attempt to impeach President Yoon over the martial law decree, which has led to widespread political instability. The first impeachment motion, which aimed to oust Yoon for his brief declaration of martial law, failed to pass last week after a boycott by most members of Yoon’s People Power Party, depriving the motion of the necessary two-thirds quorum in the 300-member National Assembly.
If a second impeachment motion succeeds, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo would temporarily take over presidential duties, and the Constitutional Court would decide whether to confirm Yoon’s removal or restore his powers. The opposition has accused the People Power Party of making a secret agreement with Yoon, allowing him to resign in an orderly manner while avoiding impeachment, a move the opposition has labeled a “second coup.”
Yoon, who has been banned from leaving the country, is also facing a criminal investigation for alleged treason related to his martial law decree. The National Assembly recently passed a bill to appoint an independent special counsel to investigate Yoon and other top officials, arguing that public prosecutors could not be trusted to conduct an impartial investigation due to Yoon’s former role as the country’s top prosecutor. Yoon’s martial law announcement on December 3, which he later rescinded, has sparked widespread controversy, with Yoon offering an apology for the decree and promising to take legal responsibility for his actions.
