South Korea arrests ex-defence minister over alleged role in martial law
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Seoul: Former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun was arrested on Sunday as part of an investigation into allegations of treason following President Yoon Suk Yeol's brief declaration of martial law last week.
The special investigation headquarters handling the political turmoil reported that Kim had been detained, and his mobile phone was seized. He has been taken to a detention center in eastern Seoul, according to Yonhap news agency.
Kim's arrest occurred approximately six hours after he arrived for overnight questioning at 1:30 a.m., during which he pledged full cooperation with the ongoing investigation. Kim had suggested the implementation of martial law to President Yoon, who declared it late Tuesday amid a growing political standoff with the opposition-controlled National Assembly. However, Yoon reversed the order six hours later after the Assembly voted to terminate it.
Kim submitted his resignation, which President Yoon accepted on Thursday.
Prosecutors believe Kim's arrest was warranted due to the seriousness of the charges and concerns that he might attempt to destroy evidence. This suspicion was fueled by his decision to rejoin Telegram after previously deleting his account, raising concerns about potential evidence tampering.
The prosecution intends to recover previous conversations Kim had on the messaging platform. Under South Korean law, suspects can be arrested without a warrant if there are significant reasons to believe a serious crime has occurred or if there is a risk of evidence destruction.
The special investigation headquarters plans to seek a warrant for Kim's formal arrest within 48 hours of his detention. If the prosecutors fail to file for a warrant or the court rejects it, Kim will be released immediately.
With IANS inputs