Presidential crisis: South Korea: Ex-defense minister arrested

South Korean prosecutors have arrested former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun. According to the South Korean news agency Yonhap, Kim is being investigated for treason. The 65-year-old, who tendered his resignation on Wednesday and was replaced by a new minister the following day, was an outspoken supporter of the president’s now-reversed decision to declare martial law. According to reports, Kim was even the person behind the decision.

Late on Tuesday evening (local time), President Yoon Suk Yeol unexpectedly put martial law into effect and lifted it again a few hours later after massive political resistance. It was the first time since South Korea’s transition to democracy in the late 1980s that the country’s head of state declared martial law.

On Saturday evening, an opposition motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol failed in parliament. Shortly before the vote, almost all members of the ruling party left the plenary hall to boycott it. In the end, only 195 of the 300 parliamentarians cast their votes. The motion therefore missed the quorum by five votes.

So Yoon remains president for now. But public pressure against the 63-year-old is unlikely to let up in the coming days. According to Yonhap estimates, 100,000 people gathered in front of the parliament building on Saturday evening to loudly demand the president’s resignation. The opposition accuses Yoon of violating the constitution.