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A protester holding a cardboard that reads “Insurgent Leader” in an image showing the face of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol takes part in a protest calling for his ouster in front of the National Assembly in Seoul on December 8. of 2024.
Felipe Fong | afp | fake images
The fallout from South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s brief imposition of martial law continues amid reports of raids on his office and the attempted suicide of his former defense minister.
Police searched the president’s office on Wednesday as part of an investigation into his six-hour declaration of martial law last week, which has sparked massive political unrest in the country, according to a report from local news agency Yonhap.
Yoon was reportedly absent from the building when police arrived to collect materials. It’s been hidden since publicly apologizing for his actions in a nationally televised speech Saturday.
Raids were also carried out at the offices of the Seoul Metropolitan Police and the National Assembly police guards, police told Yonhap.
Amid the raids, the head of South Korea’s Corruption Investigation Office for Senior Officials told reporters that he would seek to detain and arrest Yoon if the necessary conditions are met. The South Korean Ministry of Justice has banned the president to leave the country.
The speaker of the South Korean National Assembly, Woo Won-shik, also told reporters On Wednesday he had invoked his authority to conduct a parliamentary investigation into Yoon, calling for the prompt formation of a special committee to handle the investigation.
Yonhap reported Tuesday that lawmakers passed a bill appoint a special prosecutor for the investigation into Yoon and a resolution demanding his quick arrest along with seven other officials.
Yoon’s former defense minister, Kim Yong-Hyun, has already been detained on insurrection charges related to an investigation into his involvement in the imposition of martial law after he resigned last week.
On Wednesday, at his detention center in eastern Seoul, the former official made an attempt on his life, according to a report Yonhap Report.
The director of the correctional center told lawmakers during a parliamentary hearing that Kim has since been placed in a protective cell and that his health remains stable, the report added.
The developments come amid continued calls from lawmakers, backed by thousands of protesters, for Yoon to be removed from office over his surprise declaration of martial law that has shaken the country.
South Korea’s main opposition party, the Democratic Party, is reportedly He is scheduled to file a second impeachment motion against Yoon on Wednesday, after the president survived an earlier parliamentary vote on Saturday.
While the members of Yoon’s group left parliament Before the first impeachment vote, its leader has since then said the president would resign.
Yoon had announced martial law in a national television speech, accusing the country’s opposition-controlled parliament of paralyzing the government, threatening constitutional order and sympathizing with North Korea.
The measure mobilized the military and proclaimed that all political activities, including protests, strikes, and operations of the National Assembly, were prohibited.
Only after defiant members of parliament stormed the National Assembly and voted unanimously to reject the order did Yoon change course, ending six chaotic hours in which protests broke out in the capital city.
— NBC’s Stella Kim and Jennifer Jett contributed to this report.
