South Korea’s leadership crisis deepened on Sunday as prosecutors named President Yoon Suk Yeol as a subject of a criminal investigation over last week’s martial law attempt. The president survived an impeachment vote in the opposition-led parliament late on Saturday, but his former defence minister, Kim Yong-hyun, was arrested and seen as a central figure in the debacle.
The opposition says impeachment is the only legal recourse for Yoon, who faces pressure to step down despite surviving the initial impeachment attempt. The leader of Yoon’s party said he would be excluded from duties before eventually resigning.
Thousands of people rallied in front of the parliament in Seoul on Sunday, calling for the impeachment and arrest of Yoon and the disbandment of his ruling party. The president’s martial law declaration plunged Asia’s fourth-largest economy into its greatest political crisis in decades, threatening to shatter South Korea’s reputation as a democratic success story.
Prosecutors have booked Yoon, according to a media report, and investigations are ongoing. Kim Yong-hyun, who proposed martial law to the president, was arrested on Sunday and his mobile phone was seized. The opposition is calling for the immediate suspension of Yoon’s presidential duties and for stripping him of authority to control the military.
Analysts say the leadership crisis threatens to undermine allied efforts to deter nuclear-armed North Korea. The situation remains volatile, with some military commanders expressing disappointment and feeling betrayed by politicians’ handling of the crisis.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-korean-persecutors-question-ex-defence-minister-over-botched-martial-law-2024-12-07