South Korea’s political turmoil deepens as police raid President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office over a martial law probe. With protests, senior arrests, and impeachment moves underway, questions grow about the nation’s leadership and its future stability.
South Korean police raided the office of President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday as part of a widening investigation into the embattled leader's failed attempt to impose martial law, according to a presidential security official.
Separately, Kim Yong-hyun, the former defence minister and a close confidant of Yoon, attempted suicide in a detention centre where he is being held after his arrest, a Justice Ministry official told a parliamentary hearing.
A presidential security service official confirmed to Reuters that police had raided Yoon's office. The national police agency declined to immediately confirm the search. Yonhap news agency reported that police investigators presented a search warrant naming Yoon as the subject.
The raid represents a significant escalation in the inquiry into Yoon and senior police and military officers over the surprise 3rd December martial law declaration, which sparked a constitutional crisis in Asia’s fourth-largest economy and a key U.S. ally.
Yoon was not at the presidential office complex during the raid, Yonhap said. His official residence is at a different location, and he has not been seen in public since apologising on Saturday for attempting to impose martial law.
Kim, the former defence minister, was discovered by guards as he attempted suicide in a detention centre using his underwear, according to Shin Yong-hae, the justice ministry's chief of correction services, who spoke to parliament’s justice committee.
Kim remains under observation and is not currently in any danger, Shin added. He has resigned from his role and has been arrested on insurrection charges.
Earlier on Wednesday, the national police chief became the latest senior official to be arrested in connection with the martial law declaration, Yonhap news agency reported.
Yoon himself is now the subject of a criminal investigation on charges of insurrection and is barred from leaving the country, although he has not yet been arrested or questioned by authorities.
The leadership crisis has deepened amid questions over who is running the country, with the main opposition party preparing to hold a second vote on impeachment in parliament on Saturday.
Some members of the president's People Power Party (PPP) have expressed support for the motion, which failed during the initial vote on 7th December.
"The impeachment train has left the platform. There is going to be no way to stop it," Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Jae-myung said during a party meeting.
The first impeachment vote, held last Saturday, failed after most PPP members boycotted the session.
National Police Commissioner Cho Ji-ho was arrested earlier on Wednesday on charges of insurrection, Yonhap said. Cho is alleged to have deployed police to block MPs from entering parliament after Yoon declared martial law on 3rd December.
Shortly after Yoon’s surprise late-night declaration, MPs, including some from his own party, defied the security cordon around parliament and voted to demand the immediate rescindment of martial law, which Yoon withdrew hours later.
Yoon has not been seen in public since appearing on live television on Saturday to issue an apology. PPP leader Han Dong-hoon said that Prime Minister Han Duck-soo would oversee state affairs while the party works on an "orderly" transition for Yoon to resign.
The constitutional validity of this arrangement has been questioned by opposition parties and legal scholars.
Yoon's office stated on Tuesday that it had "no official position" when asked about who is currently managing the government.
Kwak Jong-geun, commander of the Army Special Warfare Command, told a parliamentary committee on Tuesday that Yoon had instructed him to send troops to parliament on 3rd December, "break the door down" and "drag out" MPs.
Yoon's former defence minister, Kim, has also been accused by military officers of issuing the same order.
Parliament is scheduled to convene on Wednesday to introduce a bill to impeach Yoon. A two-thirds majority in the opposition-controlled unicameral assembly would be required for the motion to pass. The Constitutional Court would then deliberate the case and decide whether to remove the president from office.
The country’s metalworkers’ union, including employees at Kia Corporation, has announced a strike in protest on Wednesday, while members of financial institutions such as the Bank of Korea plan to join a protest rally.
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