Seoul, December 10 — Former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong Hyun has been arrested in connection with an illegal martial law declaration case, with prosecutors alleging that he conspired with President Yoon Suk Yeol to commit rebellion. This development indicates that a forced investigation into President Yoon’s involvement may be imminent.
According to legal sources, the Special Investigation Unit for Martial Law, led by Seoul High Prosecutor Park Se Hyun, specified in the arrest warrant for Kim that President Yoon had collaborated with him in orchestrating a rebellion. While the prosecution has not explicitly labeled President Yoon as the mastermind behind the rebellion, they have effectively treated him as such, given that Kim’s sole superior at the time was President Yoon.
Kim, who declined to appear for a pre-arrest hearing, was detained after Seoul Central District Court Judge Nam Cheon Gyu issued the arrest warrant, citing concerns over potential evidence tampering. This marks the judiciary’s first acknowledgment of the illegality of the martial law declaration.
In a related development, police have summoned 11 individuals, including Prime Minister Han Duck Soo, who attended a late-night Cabinet meeting on December 3, and have already questioned one of them. National Police Commissioner General Cho Ji Ho has also been summoned and investigated as a suspect, making him the first sitting police chief to undergo such an investigation in the history of South Korea.
The police have warned that should Prime Minister Han and others refuse to comply with the summons, they will escalate the investigation with measures such as search-and-seizure operations and converting them to suspect status for further inquiry.
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