South Korea's former defense minister, Kim Yong Hyun, was formally arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of colluding with President Yoon Suk Yeol and others in declaring a state of emergency last week, as authorities investigate whether their actions constitute rebellion.
The declaration of the state of emergency, the first in more than 40 years, lasted about six hours, but has caused major reactions and protests in the country. Yoon and his associates face criminal investigations and impeachment efforts. The Ministry of Justice has barred Mr. Yoon and eight others from leaving the country as authorities view them as prime suspects in the martial law case. This is the first time a sitting South Korean president has received a travel ban.
The Seoul Central Court said it approved an arrest warrant for former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun based on charges of rebellion and abuse of office.
Mr. Kim had been held in custody since Sunday. Prosecutors have up to 20 days to decide on the case. The law provides for the maximum penalty of death for persons found guilty of sedition charges.
Mr. Kim is the first person arrested for this case. He has been accused of recommending martial law to President Yoon and sending troops into the National Assembly to block lawmakers' efforts to vote on the measure.
Eventually a sufficient number of lawmakers managed to enter parliament and unanimously rejected President Yoon's decree, forcing his cabinet to rescind the state of emergency decree hours after it was announced on December 4.
Defense Minister Kim said in a statement on Tuesday that he apologized for "causing great anxiety and worry" . He said all responsibility for declaring the state of emergency rests solely with him and prayed for good treatment of deployed soldiers. for the implementation of the state of emergency decision, saying that they were simply following the orders.
The opposition-controlled parliament approved a bill on Tuesday to appoint an independent special prosecutor to investigate President Yoon and other senior military officials over the emergency declaration.
Opposition parties and many experts say that the decree declaring a state of emergency was unconstitutional. They say that by law the president is allowed to declare a state of emergency only in "time of war" or other national emergencies" and that South Korea was not in such a situation.
A motion to impeach South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in parliament failed on Saturday after members of his party boycotted the vote./Voice of America (A2 Televizion)
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