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Seoul: The former Minister of Defense is arrested in connection with the decision on the state of war

2024-12-08 09:54:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Seoul: The former Minister of Defense is arrested in connection with the

Prosecutors in South Korea have arrested the former defense minister who allegedly recommended the declaration of war, a decision made earlier this week by President Yoon Suk Yeol.

The martial law decision was later withdrawn by the president. But former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun is the first high-ranking figure to be arrested in connection with the case.

The development comes a day after Yoon avoided a motion to impeach him, initiated in Parliament by the opposition, after ruling party lawmakers boycotted the vote. A two-thirds majority in Parliament is required to pass the motion to suspend the duties of the president. The main opposition party, the Democratic Party, said it will prepare a new motion to impeach the president.

Former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun was taken to a detention center in Seoul on Dec. 8 after being investigated by prosecutors, said a law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The official did not provide further details. But the media in South Korea have reported that Kim voluntarily appeared before the prosecutor's office in Seoul, where his cell phone was confiscated and he was arrested. Police reportedly searched Kim's home and former office on Sunday.

Senior prosecutor Park Se-hyun said during a televised statement on December 8 that authorities have launched an investigation, through a special team consisting of 62 members, into the case involving the declaration of a state of war. Park, who will lead this team, said that the investigations "will spare no suspect".

Yoon accepted Kim's resignation on December 5, after opposition parties submitted a separate motion to impeach him.

Kim was a central figure in implementing the martial law declared by Yoon, and he led special forces to surround the National Assembly building, while military helicopters patrolled over the building. The military withdrew after Parliament unanimously voted to overturn Yoon's decree, forcing the president to withdraw the decision on Wednesday.

In the motion for Kim's impeachment, initiated by the Democratic Party and other opposition parties, he was accused of proposing to the president to declare a state of war. Deputy Defense Minister Kim Seon Ho told Parliament that Kim Yong Hyun ordered the deployment of troops to the National Assembly.

In a statement released earlier this week, Kim said that "all troops performed their duties based on the martial law decision and acted according to my instructions, and all responsibility rests with me."

Prosecutor General Shim Woo told reporters Thursday that the prosecution plans to investigate sedition charges against Yoon. While the president has some form of immunity from prosecution for as long as he is in office, the immunity does not protect him from charges of rebellion or treason.

South Korea's Defense Ministry has suspended three top military commanders following allegations of their involvement in the implementation of martial law. They were in the indictment filed by the opposition on charges of sedition.

A day earlier, President Yoon apologized for declaring martial law as protesters gathered outside Parliament, where a failed impeachment motion was being heard.

"The declaration of the state of war came from my desperation as president," he said during a televised address.

When declaring a state of war, Yoon claimed that such a decision "will eliminate the anti-state elements that are hindering the freedoms and happiness of the people."

Security forces surrounded the National Assembly, while helicopters landed on the roof of the building. Almost 300 soldiers tried to blockade the building. But Parliament staff managed to stop the soldiers from entering the building, and there were enough MPs inside Parliament to vote against Yoon's decision.

Lawmakers from the ruling party and the opposition said soldiers had been ordered to arrest top politicians, while special police units were said to have been ordered to remove MPs from Parliament./REL