South Korea's ex-defence minister attempts suicide as president's staff block police raid of his office

Country's opposition pushes for new impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol over martial law order

A protester wearing a mask of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol takes part in a rally demanding his impeachment in Seoul on Wednesday. Photo: AP

Former South Korean defence minister Kim Yong Hyun was prevented from taking his own life while in custody over last week's declaration of martial law, officials said on Wednesday, as President Yoon Suk Yeol’s staff resisted a police attempt to raid his office.

The president imposed martial law on South Korea on December 3 for the first time in more than four decades, only for the decree to be overturned hours later by lawmakers.

The country's main liberal opposition Democratic Party is pushing for a new motion to impeach Mr Yoon after a first vote last Saturday failed due to ruling party lawmakers boycotting it.

Mr Yoon’s surprise power grab has upended South Korean politics and unnerved markets. Shin Yong Hae, commissioner general for South Korea's prison service, told lawmakers that former defence minister Mr Kim had tried to take his own life at a detention centre in Seoul on Tuesday. He said correctional officers stopped him and that he was in stable condition.

Mr Kim was arrested by prosecutors early on Wednesday on allegations of abuse of power related to the martial law order. He was one of Mr Yoon’s close associates and has been accused of recommending martial law to Mr Yoon and sending troops to the National Assembly to block lawmakers from voting on it.

Mr Kim issued an apology on Tuesday and said all responsibility for the decree rests with him. He pleaded for leniency for soldiers enforcing the order.

National Police Agency Commissioner Gen Cho Ji Ho and Kim Bong-sik, the head of Seoul’s metropolitan police, have also been detained. They are accused of deploying officers to parliament to block lawmakers from voting.

South Korea's former defence minister Kim Yong-hyun was arrested over allegations of abuse of power related to the president's martial law order. Reuters

South Korean police said they sent officers to search Mr Yoon’s office on Wednesday for any evidence related to the case. But investigators had failed to enter as of Wednesday evening, about six hours after their arrival, senior police officer Lee Ho-young told parliament.

Mr Yoon on Saturday also apologised over the martial law decree, saying he would not avoid responsibility. He said he would leave it to his party to chart the way ahead, “including matters related to my term in office”.

The leader of Mr Yoon’s ruling party later vowed to arrange a stable exit from office for the president, saying Mr Yoon would be sidelined from duties and the party would co-ordinate with cabinet members over state affairs.

But the comments were criticised as unrealistic and unconstitutional, and there are widespread questions over who is in charge of South Korea and its military at a time of heightened tensions with North Korea. The justice ministry on Tuesday banned Mr Yoon from leaving the country while investigations proceed.

A Wednesday article from North Korea’s state news agency called Mr Yoon “a traitor” and his military “gangsters”. In his martial law announcement, the conservative Mr Yoon said he was aiming to eliminate “shameless North Korea followers and anti-state forces”, a reference to his liberal rivals who control parliament.

Many experts say North Korea is sensitive to the domestic spread of news on major anti-government protests in foreign countries as its own people have no official access to international news and could be affected by such events.

Opposition parties and many experts say Mr Yoon's martial law decree was illegal. A president is by law only allowed to declare martial law during wartime or similar emergency situations, they argue.

– Agencies contributed to this report