A presidential security official reported on Wednesday that South Korean police had raided President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office as part of a broader probe into the troubled leader’s abortive attempt to impose martial law.
Separately, a Justice Ministry official revealed to a parliament hearing that Kim Yong-hyun, Yoon’s close confidant and former defense minister, attempted suicide at the detention facility after his arrest.
Police raided Yoon’s office, a presidential security service official told Reuters. The national police agency did not immediately confirm the search. Police investigators produced a search warrant that named Yoon as the subject, according to the Yonhap news agency.
The raid represents a dramatic step up in the investigation against Yoon and senior military and police officials for the unexpected declaration of martial law on December 3, which sent a major US ally and Asia’s fourth-largest economy into a constitutional crisis.
According to Yonhap, Yoon was not present at the presidential office compound when the raid took place. His official home is located somewhere else. People have not seen him in public since he apologized on Saturday for trying to enforce martial law.
The head of correction services for the justice ministry, Shin Yong-hae, informed the parliament’s justice committee that guards found Kim, the former defense minister, attempting suicide in a detention facility while only wearing his underwear.
Shin clarified that he was under observation and that his life was not in immediate danger. Insurrection charges led to Kim’s arrest and resignation.
The Yonhap news agency reports that the arrest of the national police chief earlier Wednesday made him the most recent high-ranking official detained in relation to the declaration of martial law.
Authorities have not detained or questioned Yoon, but they are currently investigating him for insurrection and have banned him from leaving the country.
Questions about who is in charge of the nation and the main opposition party’s intention to hold a second impeachment vote in parliament on Saturday have further exacerbated the leadership crisis.
Some members of the president’s People Power Party (PPP) have supported the motion, which lost in the first vote on December 7.
“The train of impeachment has departed the station. At the beginning of a party meeting, DP leader Lee Jae-myung declared, “There will be no way to stop it.”
Last Saturday’s first impeachment vote was unsuccessful because the majority of PPP members did not attend.
Yonhap reports that Yonhap took National Police Commissioner Cho Ji-ho into custody early on Wednesday on suspicion of insurrection. Yoon’s Dec. 3 declaration of martial law accuses Cho of using police to prevent lawmakers from entering parliament.
Lawmakers, including some from his own party, disobeyed the security cordon surrounding parliament shortly after Yoon’s unexpected late-night declaration and voted for the president to immediately lift martial law, which he did a few hours later.
Yoon has not appeared in public since his live television apology on Saturday. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will oversee state affairs while the PPP searches for an “orderly” method for the president to step down, according to PPP leader Han Dong-hoon.
Opposition parties and some legal scholars have questioned its constitutional legitimacy.
On Tuesday, Yoon’s office responded that it had “no official position” when asked who was in charge of the nation.
Yoon had instructed Kwak Jong-geun, the commander of the Army Special Warfare Command, to send his troops to parliament on December 3 in order to “break down the door” and “drag out” lawmakers, he told a parliamentary committee on Tuesday.
Military officers have also accused Kim, Yoon’s former defense minister, of issuing the same directive.
Parliament will meet on Wednesday to present a bill that would impeach Yoon. To pass the bill, the opposition-controlled unicameral assembly must have a two-thirds majority. After considering the case, the Constitutional Court determines whether to remove the president from office.
Workers at the Kia Corp. automakers are part of the nation’s metal workers’ union, which has announced a protest strike for Wednesday. Financial institution representatives, including those from the Bank of Korea, intend to attend a demonstration on Wednesday.
