South Korean prosecutors yesterday detained a former defense minister who allegedly recommended last week’s brief but stunning martial law imposition to South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, making him the first figure detained over the case.
The development came a day after Yoon avoided 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 would prepare a new impeachment motion against Yoon.
Photo: AFP
Yesterday, former South Korean Minister of National Defense 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’ office, where he had his cellphone confiscated and was detained. The reports said police searched Kim’s former office and residence yesterday.
Repeated calls to Seoul prosecutors’ offices and police agency were unanswered.
Senior prosecutor Park Se-hyun in a televised statement yesterday said that authorities launched a 62-member special investigation team on the martial law case. Park, who would head the team, said the probe would “leave no suspicions.”
Yoon accepted Kim’s resignation offer on Thursday after opposition parties submitted a separate impeachment motion against him.
In Kim’s impeachment motion document, the Democratic Party and other opposition parties accused him of proposing martial law to Yoon.
South Korean Vice-Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho told parliament that Kim ordered the deployment of troops to the National Assembly.
IMPEACHEMENT TRIAL
Ruling People Power Party (PPP) leader Han Dong-hun yesterday said the PPP would work with the government to determine Yoon’s early and orderly exit from office in a way that minimizes confusion, but he did not say when that would happen.
He also said Yoon would not be involved in state affairs, including foreign policy.
The Democratic Party criticized Han Dong-hun’s comments, saying that the exclusion of an incumbent president from state affairs is not supported by the constitution.
It said authorities should immediately arrest Yoon and all others implicated in the case.
Yoon’s presidential office did not immediately respond to Han’s comments.
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, yesterday said that they will try again on Saturday.
“Yoon, the principal culprit behind the insurrection and military coup that destroyed South Korea’s constitutional order, must either resign immediately or be impeached without delay,” Lee said.
“On December 14, our Democratic Party will impeach Yoon in the name of the people,” he added.
DETERRENCE: With 1,000 indigenous Hsiung Feng II and III missiles and 400 Harpoon missiles, the nation would boast the highest anti-ship missile density in the world With Taiwan wrapping up mass production of Hsiung Feng II and III missiles by December and an influx of Harpoon missiles from the US, Taiwan would have the highest density of anti-ship missiles in the world, a source said yesterday. Taiwan is to wrap up mass production of the indigenous anti-ship missiles by the end of year, as the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology has been meeting production targets ahead of schedule, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said. Combined with the 400 Harpoon anti-ship missiles Taiwan expects to receive from the US by 2028, the nation would have
North Korea yesterday fired about 10 ballistic missiles to the sea toward Japan, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, days after Pyongyang warned of “terrible consequences” over ongoing South Korea-US military drills. Pyongyang recently dashed hopes of a diplomatic thaw with Seoul, Washington’s security ally, describing its latest peace efforts as a “clumsy, deceptive farce.” Seoul’s military detected “around 10 ballistic missiles launched from the Sunan area in North Korea toward the East Sea [Sea of Japan] at around 1:20pm,” JCS said in a statement, referring to South Korea’s name for the body of water. The missiles
‘UNWAVERING FRIENDSHIP’: A representative of a Japanese group that co-organized a memorial, said he hopes Japanese never forget Taiwan’s kindness President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday marked the 15th anniversary of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, urging continued cooperation between Taiwan and Japan on disaster prevention and humanitarian assistance. Lai wrote on social media that Taiwan and Japan have always helped each other in the aftermath of major disasters. The magnitude 9 earthquake struck northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, triggering a massive tsunami that claimed more than 19,000 lives, according to data from Japanese authorities. Following the disaster, Taiwan donated more than US$240 million in aid, making it one of the largest contributors of financial assistance to Japan. In addition to cash donations and
North Korea tested nuclear-capable rocket launchers, state media reported yesterday, a day after Seoul detected the launch of about 10 ballistic missiles. The test comes after South Korean and US forces launched their springtime military drills, due to run until Thursday. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Saturday oversaw the testing of the multiple rocket launcher system (MRLS), the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The test involved 12 600mm-caliber ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers and two artillery companies, it said. Kim said the drill gave Pyongyang’s enemies, within the 420km striking range, a sense of “uneasiness” and “a deep understanding
RSS