SEOUL, South Korea (AP) 鈥 South Korean prosecutors on Sunday detained a former defense minister who allegedly recommended last week鈥檚 brief but stunning martial law imposition to President Yoon Suk Yeol, making him the first figure detained over the case.
The development came a day after an opposition-led bid to impeach him in parliament, with most ruling party lawmakers boycotting a floor vote to prevent the two-thirds majority needed to suspend his presidential powers. The main opposition Democratic Party said it will prepare a new impeachment motion against Yoon.
On Sunday, ex-Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun was taken into custody at a Seoul detention facility after undergoing an investigation by prosecutors, a law enforcement official said, requesting anonymity in line with privacy rules.
The official gave no further details. But South Korean media reported that Kim voluntarily appeared at a Seoul prosecutors鈥 office, where he had his mobile phone confiscated and was detained. The reports said police searched Kim's former office and residence on Sunday.
Repeated calls to Seoul prosecutors' offices and police agency were unanswered.
Senior prosecutor Park Se-hyun said in a televised statement Sunday that authorities launched a 62-member special investigation team on the martial law case. Park, who will head the team, said the probe would 鈥渓eave no suspicions.鈥
Yoon accepted Kim鈥檚 resignation offer on Thursday after opposition parties submitted a separate impeachment motion against him.
Kim is a central figure in Yoon鈥檚 which led to special forces troops encircling the 香港六合彩挂牌资料 Assembly building and army helicopters hovering over it. The military withdrew after the parliament unanimously voted to overturn Yoon鈥檚 decree, forcing his Cabinet to lift it before daybreak Wednesday.
In Kim鈥檚 impeachment motion document, the Democratic Party and other opposition parties accused him of proposing martial law to Yoon. Vice Defense Minister Kim Seon Ho told parliament that Kim Yong Hyun ordered the deployment of troops to the 香港六合彩挂牌资料 Assembly.
The Democratic Party called Yoon鈥檚 martial law imposition 鈥渦nconstitutional, illegal rebellion or a coup.鈥 It has filed complaints with police against at least nine people, including Yoon and Kim, over the alleged rebellion.
In a statement Wednesday, Kim said that 鈥渁ll troops who performed duties related to martial law were acting on my instructions, and all responsibility lies with me.鈥
Prosecutor General Shim Woo Jung told reporters on Thursday the prosecution plans to investigate the rebellion charges against Yoon following complaints. While the president mostly has immunity from prosecution while in office, that does not extend to allegations of rebellion or treason.
The Defense Ministry said it has suspended three top military commanders over their alleged involvement in the martial law imposition. They were among those facing the opposition-raised rebellion allegations.
On Saturday, Yoon issued an apology over the decree, saying he won鈥檛 shirk legal or political responsibility for . He said he would leave it to his party to chart a course through the country鈥檚 political turmoil, 鈥渋ncluding matters related to my term in office.鈥
Since taking office in 2022 for a single five-year term, Yoon has struggled to push his agenda through an opposition-controlled parliament and grappled with low approval ratings amid involving himself and his wife. In his martial law announcement on Tuesday night, Yoon called parliament a 鈥渄en of criminals鈥 bogging down state affairs and vowed to eliminate 鈥渟hameless North Korea followers and anti-state forces.鈥
was the first of its kind in more than 40 years in South Korea. has sparked alarm among key diplomatic partners like the U.S. and Japan.
The scrapping of Yoon's impeachment motion is expected to intensify protests calling for and deepen political chaos in South Korea, with a survey suggesting a majority of South Koreans support the president鈥檚 impeachment. Yoon鈥檚 martial law declaration drew criticism from the conservative ruling party, but it is determined to oppose Yoon鈥檚 impeachment apparently because it fears losing the presidency to liberals.
Ruling People Power Party leader said Sunday the PPP will work with the government to determine Yoon鈥檚 early and orderly exit from office in a way that minimizes confusion, but he didn't say when that would happen. He also claimed Yoon will not be involved in state affairs, including foreign policy.
Yoon鈥檚 presidential office didn鈥檛 immediately respond. The Democratic Party criticized Han Dong-hun鈥檚 comments, saying that the exclusion of an incumbent president from state affairs isn鈥檛 supported by the constitution. The party said authorities should immediately arrest Yoon and all others implicated in the case.
The presidential office said Sunday that Yoon accepted the resignation offer by Safety Minister Lee Sang-min, who has also faced an opposition-led impeachment motion over his alleged role in the martial law enforcement.
In a parliamentary hearing on Friday, Lee, one of Yoon鈥檚 closest associates, defended Yoon鈥檚 martial law decree, saying the president exercised his powers 鈥渨ithin the boundaries of constitutional processes and law.鈥
