Ex-Defense Chief In South Korea Tried To Kill Himself After Being Arrested Over Martial Law Case | rssama.com

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — An charismatic says erstwhile Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun attempted to termination himself but grounded to do so.

Shin Yong Hae, commissioner wide of of nan Korea Correctional Service, told lawmakers Wednesday that Kim tried to termination himself astatine a detention halfway successful Seoul. He says his termination effort grounded and he is successful a unchangeable information now.

Kim was arrested earlier Wednesday aft a Seoul tribunal approved a warrant for him connected allegations of playing a cardinal domiciled successful a rebellion and committing maltreatment of power. Kim became nan first personification arrested complete nan Dec. 3 martial rule decree.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier communicative is below:

South Korean constabulary searched President Yoon Suk Yeol’s agency Wednesday complete his imposition of martial rule past week, reports said, arsenic immoderate of his apical officials were arrested, detained and questioned astir their actions successful enforcing his orders.

The developments travel hours earlier nan main wide guidance Democratic Party submits a caller mobility to impeach Yoon arsenic nan country’s main rule enforcement institutions grow their investigations into whether nan president’s declaration amounted to rebellion. The first impeachment effort grounded past Saturday erstwhile nan ruling statement boycotted nan vote. The Democratic Party said it intends to put nan caller mobility to a ballot connected Saturday.

Yonhap news agency reported that constabulary are searching Yoon’s agency but gave nary further details. Police and Yoon’s agency didn’t instantly corroborate nan report.

The country’s main rule enforcement institutions are focusing connected uncovering whether Yoon and others progressive successful imposing martial rule committed nan crime of rebellion.

Earlier Wednesday, Yoon’s erstwhile defense minister, Kim Yong Hyun, was arrested aft a Seoul tribunal approved a warrant for him connected allegations of playing a cardinal domiciled successful a rebellion and committing maltreatment of power. Later successful nan day, National Police Agency Commissioner General Cho Ji Ho and Kim Bong-sik, caput of nan metropolitan constabulary agency of nan capital, Seoul, were detained complete their actions during martial law.

They are being investigated for their roles successful deploying constabulary forces to nan National Assembly to artifact lawmakers from voting to assistance Yoon’s martial rule decree.

Yoon’s ill-conceived powerfulness drawback has paralyzed South Korean politics, stiff its overseas policy, and rattled financial markets, greatly reducing his chances of completing his five-year word and casting a turbulent protector complete 1 of Asia’s astir robust democracies.

After past week’s impeachment mobility fell through, nan leader of Yoon’s blimpish statement pledged to put his unchangeable exit from power, saying nan statement will coordinate pinch Cabinet members complete authorities affairs and that Yoon will beryllium sidelined from duties during a modulation to an early election.

However, nan plans person been wide criticized arsenic unrealistic and unconstitutional. The constitution explicitly states that impeachment is nan sole method for suspending statesmanlike powers and that nan authority to bid nan subject rests solely pinch nan president. The Defense Ministry said this week that Yoon remains successful complaint of nan country’s subject forces.

The Assembly was besides encircled by heavy equipped troops, which subject commanders opportunity were deployed connected nan orders of nan erstwhile defense minister. But capable lawmakers yet managed to participate a parliament enclosure and unanimously rejected Yoon’s decree, forcing nan Cabinet to lift it earlier daybreak connected Dec. 4.

During a parliamentary proceeding Tuesday, Kwak Jong-keun, commandant of nan Army Special Warfare Command whose troops were sent to parliament, testified that he received nonstop instructions from Kim Yong Hyun to obstruct lawmakers from entering nan Assembly’s main chamber. Kwak said nan intent of Kim’s instructions was to forestall nan 300-member parliament from gathering nan 150 votes basal to overturn Yoon’s martial rule order.

Kwak said Yoon later called him straight and asked for nan troops to “quickly destruct nan doorway and resistance retired nan lawmakers who are inside.” Kwak said he discussed Yoon’s bid pinch nan commandant astatine nan segment and that they concluded location was thing that could beryllium done, ruling retired nan anticipation of threatening nan lawmakers by shooting blanks aliases cutting disconnected electricity.

At nan aforesaid hearing, elder serviceman Kim Dae-woo of nan military’s counterintelligence agency said his commander, Yeo In-hyung, asked him if an service bunker successful Seoul had abstraction to detain politicians and different figures aft martial rule was imposed. Yeo is considered a adjacent subordinate of Kim Yong Hyun. Last week, Hong Jang-won, a lawman head of nan country’s spy agency, said Yoon ordered him to thief Yeo’s bid to detain immoderate of his governmental rivals but he ignored nan president’s order.

Kwak and Yeo are among those who look opposition-raised rebellion charges on pinch Yoon and Kim, and nan Defense Ministry suspended them past week.

If Yoon is impeached, his statesmanlike powers would beryllium suspended until nan Constitutional Court decides whether to reconstruct his powers aliases region him from office. If he is dismissed from office, a caller statesmanlike predetermination would beryllium required.

Opposition parties and galore experts opportunity nan martial rule decree was unconstitutional. They opportunity a president is by rule allowed to state martial rule only during “wartime, war-like situations aliases different comparable nationalist emergency states” and South Korea wasn’t successful specified a situation. They reason that deploying troops to seal nan National Assembly to suspend its governmental activities amounted to rebellion because nan South Korean Constitution doesn’t let a president to usage nan subject to suspend parliament successful immoderate situation.

In his martial rule announcement, nan blimpish Yoon stressed a request to rebuild nan state by eliminating “shameless North Korea followers and anti-state forces,” a reference to his wide rivals who power parliament. Since taking agency successful 2022, Yoon has had near-constant clash pinch nan main wide guidance Democratic Party, which introduced motions to impeach immoderate of his apical officials and launched a governmental violative complete scandals involving Yoon and his wife.

On Wednesday, North Korea’s authorities news agency for nan first clip reported astir nan governmental turmoil and thoroughfare protests triggered by Yoon’s martial rule decree. The study mostly attempted to explicate nan South Korean events though it utilized its emblematic abusive connection for illustration calling Yoon “a traitor” and his subject “gangsters.”

Many experts opportunity North Korea is delicate to nan home dispersed of news connected monolithic anti-government protests successful overseas countries because its ain group person nary charismatic entree to world news and could beryllium affected by specified events.

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South KoreaYoon Suk Yeoldefense ministerKim Yong Hyun