In South Korea, suicide attempt by the former defense minister in office during the president’s failed coup

Former South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun during a press conference at the Pentagon in Washington on October 30, 2024. SAUL LOEB / AFP The Commissioner General of the South Korean Prison Service, Shin Yong -hae, announced that former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, in office during the failed attempt to impose martial law in the country, tried to end in his days, in detention, a few minutes before the announcement of his formal arrest. Tuesday, December 10 shortly before midnight (local time, 4 p.m., in Paris), “Kim Yong-hyun attempted suicide at the Dongbu detention center in Seoul,” said Wednesday during a parliamentary hearing Shin Yong-hae. He tried to hang himself, the justice ministry explained in a statement sent to Agence France-Presse (AFP). Guards then intervened “and when they opened the door, he immediately abandoned his attempt,” Mr. Shin said. The former minister is currently under protection, he continued. “The results of the medical examination show that the detainee’s state of health is good, with nothing abnormal, and that he is currently living a normal life in the center,” assured the Ministry of Justice. Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers South Korea is sinking a little deeper into political uncertainty, after the rejection of the dismissal of its president Read later South Korea has been plunged into political chaos since President Yoon’s failed attempt Suk Yeol to impose martial law on the night of December 3 to 4. He was forced to repeal it barely six hours later under pressure from Parliament, despite being surrounded by soldiers, and from the streets. Accused of having played a “crucial role during a rebellion” and committing an “abuse of power to obstruct the exercise of rights”, the defense minister resigned on Thursday and had been detained since Sunday. Kim Yong-hyun presented his “deep” apologies on Tuesday, affirming through his lawyers that “the entire responsibility for the situation” rested solely on him. He also certified that his subordinates had “simply followed [ses] orders and carried out the tasks assigned to them. Ban on leaving the territory Furthermore, the police said on Wednesday that they had notably searched President Yoon’s office. “The special investigation team conducted a search at the presidential office, the National Police Agency, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and the security department of the National Assembly,” the statement said. police unit in a message sent to AFP. Yoon Suk Yeol, who stunned the country by imposing martial law by surprise, has since narrowly escaped an impeachment motion submitted to a vote by the National Assembly, saved by his party. Another vote on impeaching the president is scheduled for Saturday, December 14. South Korea’s main opposition party has scheduled its second impeachment motion for a vote at 9 a.m. (Paris time), a spokesperson confirmed Wednesday. The vote in Parliament is scheduled for “December 14 at 5 p.m. [heure locale] “, Democratic Party MP Jo Seung-lae told AFP. Le Monde Mémorable Test your general knowledge with the editorial staff of “Le Monde” Test your general knowledge with the editorial staff of “Le Monde” Discover Under investigation for “rebellion”, the unpopular 63-year-old president is prohibited from leaving the territory, just like the former Minister of Defense, the former Minister of the Interior and the commander of the abortive martial law attempt. Cho Ji-ho, the commissioner general of the National Police Agency, and Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency chief Kim Bong-sik were also arrested early Wednesday, according to police. North Korea’s first reaction In the morning, North Korean state media reacted for the first time. The “shocking act of the puppet Yoon Suk Yeol, who faces impeachment and a governance crisis, declaring a decree of martial law and without hesitation brandishing the guns and knives of his fascist dictatorship, has sowed seeds of chaos throughout South Korea,” they wrote. Mr. Yoon, constantly defeated by a National Assembly largely aligned with the opposition, had justified his decision to impose martial law by his desire to protect South Korea from “North Korean communist forces” and to “eliminate elements hostile to the State”. Helicopters and soldiers were deployed to Parliament to prevent MPs from meeting there and voting to lift his decree. But 190 of them managed to enter and unanimously adopt the end of this state of exception. Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers Kim Ou-joon, a political commentator targeted by martial law in South Korea: “President Yoon wanted to set up a National Assembly under his orders” Read later The former defense minister, Kim Yong-hyun, was accused by opposition parliamentarians of ordering drones to be sent to Pyongyang, in an apparent attempt to create a casus belli with the North, which would have served as a pretext to proclaim the martial law. These deputies also accused him of having called for striking launch sites for North Korean waste balloons, which flew by the thousands towards the South starting in May. On Tuesday, a working group from Mr. Yoon’s People Power Party (PPP) proposed a road map on the president’s removal. Two options are being considered: Yoon Suk Yeol’s resignation in February or March, with a new presidential election in April or May. The proposal has not yet been accepted by the entire PPP. If it were, it is nevertheless unlikely that the opposition would renounce a new impeachment motion. This only needs eight defections in the presidential party to be able to pass. During the first attempt, on December 7, only two PPP elected officials voted in favor of this measure. But on Tuesday, two others said they would do the same. Le Monde with AFP Reuse this content



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