South Korea’s political crisis has witnessed a dramatic escalation as the country’s former Defence Minister Kim Yong Hyun was officially arrested on Wednesday for his supposed involvement in the imposition of martial law last week. This, already an incitement to nationwide protests and criminal investigations into President Yoon Suk Yeol and his administration, is still being probed as a rebellion case.
The Seoul District Court approved Kim’s arrest, which cited evidence of his direct involvement in rebellion and abuse of power. Kim is a close ally of President Yoon and had resigned from his post last Thursday. He has been detained since Sunday. Prosecutors have 20 days to decide whether to file formal charges against him, and rebellion carries the possibility of a death sentence.
Kim is accused of advising President Yoon to impose martial law and deploy troops to block parliamentary votes aimed at overturning the decree. Despite the military presence, lawmakers eventually rejected the measure.
In a statement, Kim expressed regret, stating he “deeply apologizes for creating grave anxiety and trouble.”
He said he took responsibility entirely for declaring martial law, added that the soldiers committing human rights abuses were carrying out his orders, and begged to treat them leniently.
During a parliamentary hearing on Tuesday, top military officials finally revealed disturbing details about what happened when martial law was imposed. Army Special Warfare Command commander Kwak Jong-keun testified he received direct orders from Kim to bar lawmakers from entering the National Assembly chamber. According to Kwak, Kim had wanted to prevent the 300-member parliament from voting to veto the martial law decree.
Kwak further alleged that President Yoon later called him directly, instructing him to “quickly destroy the door and drag out the lawmakers inside.” The orders were reportedly discussed with commanders on-site, but no action was taken to carry them out.
In a related testimony, a senior counterintelligence officer, Kim Dae-woo, reported that his commander, Yeo In-hyung, requested the use of an army bunker in Seoul to keep politicians and other influential figures under custody after martial law was declared.
Controversial Martial Law Decree Sparks Outrage
Critics, including opposition parties and legal experts, argue that the martial law declaration was unconstitutional. Under South Korean law, martial law can only be imposed in situations of war, wartime emergencies, or comparable crises—conditions that were not present. They claim the deployment of troops to disrupt parliamentary proceedings constituted rebellion, as the South Korean Constitution explicitly prohibits using the military to suspend parliament under any circumstances.
In his declaration of martial law, President Yoon claimed the measure to be a necessity in “rebuilding the country” and purging “anti-state forces,” which in his context, referred to his liberal opponents who control the parliament. This move has created a gulf between the conservative government of Yoon and the liberal Democratic Party.
Political Fallout And Calls for Accountability
The opposition-controlled parliament retaliated by passing a bill to appoint an independent special counsel to investigate Yoon and senior military officials involved in the martial law decree. The Democratic Party has been pushing for impeachment proceedings against Yoon, accusing public prosecutors of being too closely tied to the administration to conduct an impartial investigation.
While Yoon narrowly escaped impeachment last Saturday after a boycott by ruling party lawmakers, the Democratic Party has vowed to stage another impeachment vote. In addition, they have presented motions to impeach Yoon’s police chief and justice minister.
If Yoon is impeached, his presidential powers will be suspended until the Constitutional Court determines whether to reinstate him or remove him from office. If removed, South Korea would face a new presidential election.
Martial law decree: The controversies it unleashed and political fallout created by these has left the country uncertainly standing on its legs. Nation awaits for answers for such questionable legality of the decree or motives for making one from the further investigation to officials who caused this stir, beginning from Kim Yong Hyun himself.
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