South Korean police raided President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office on Wednesday, coinciding with a troubling development involving one of his top lieutenants, who has attempted suicide amid a growing investigation into the president’s controversial declaration of martial law last week.
The raid signifies a dramatic escalation in the probe against Yoon and senior police and military officials regarding the unexpected martial law declaration on December 3, which has plunged Asia’s fourth-largest economy into a constitutional crisis.
Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun Attempts Suicide Following Arrest
Kim Yong-hyun, the defense minister at the time and a close ally of Yoon, attempted suicide using a shirt and underwear while in a detention center following his arrest on Sunday. A Justice Ministry official informed parliament that Kim is now under observation and that his life is not currently in danger. He has since resigned and accepted responsibility for the brief imposition of emergency rule.
In the wake of Yoon’s late-night martial law declaration, lawmakers, including some from his own party, swiftly voted to demand the president rescind the order, which he did just hours later.
Calls for Impeachment Intensify as Yoon Faces Criminal Investigation
Yoon is now the subject of a criminal investigation into insurrection allegations and is currently banned from leaving the country, although he has not yet been arrested or questioned by authorities. The president has not been seen in public since Saturday and was absent during the police raid on his office. A presidential security service official confirmed the raid to Reuters, while police declined to comment further.
Oh Dong-woon, head of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, stated that his office is “willing” to arrest Yoon if necessary. Earlier on Wednesday, national police chief Cho Ji-ho was arrested, accused of blocking lawmakers from entering parliament during the martial law declaration.
As calls for Yoon’s arrest grow, top military officers have alleged that he ordered troops to enter parliament on December 3 to prevent lawmakers from voting against martial law. Kwak Jong-geun, commander of the Army Special Warfare Command, testified that Yoon instructed troops to “break the door down right now and get in there and drag out” lawmakers, a claim echoed by Kim.
Leadership Crisis Deepens Amid Questions of Authority
With Yoon’s hold on power increasingly tenuous, the leadership crisis has intensified, raising questions about who is currently in charge of the country. Yoon’s office stated it had “no official position” when asked about the leadership situation. The leader of the People Power Party (PPP) indicated that Prime Minister Han Duck-soo would manage state affairs while the party seeks an “orderly” way for Yoon to resign, a move that has drawn scrutiny from opposition parties and legal scholars regarding its constitutional validity.
The opposition Democratic Party (DP) plans to introduce a new impeachment bill on Wednesday, with a vote scheduled for Saturday, just a week after the first impeachment attempt failed. Some members of Yoon’s party have expressed support for the motion, and only eight PPP votes would be needed for impeachment to pass with the opposition’s backing. “The impeachment train has left the platform. There will be no way to stop it,” declared DP leader Lee Jae-myung during a party meeting.
Kim Jae-sub, a PPP member who previously boycotted the first impeachment vote, has announced his intention to support the motion this time and urged his party to do the same. If parliament votes to impeach, the Constitutional Court will deliberate the case to determine whether to remove the president from office.
In response to the ongoing political turmoil, the country’s metal workers’ union, including employees from Kia Corp, has declared a protest strike for Wednesday. Members from financial institutions, including the Bank of Korea, plan to attend the rally.
