A protester holding a cardboard reading “Leader of insurgents” on an image depicting the face of South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol takes part in a protest calling for his ouster outside the National Assembly in Seoul on December 8, 2024.
Philip Fong | Afp | Getty Images
The fallout from South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s brief imposition of martial law continues amid reports of his office being raided and his former defense minister attempting suicide.
Police searched the president’s office on Wednesday as part of an investigation into the six-hour martial law declaration that has sparked massive backlash in political turmoil in the country, according to a report from local news agency Yonhap.
Yoon was reportedly absent from the building when police arrived to gather materials. Raids were also conducted at the offices of the Seoul Metropolitan Police and the National Assembly Police Guards, police told Yonhap.
Amid the raids, the chief of South Korea’s Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials told reporters that it would seek to detain and arrest Yoon if the necessary conditions are met.
South Korea’s National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik also told reporters Wednesday that he had invoked his authority to conduct a parliamentary probe into Yoon, calling for the formation of a special committee to handle the investigation.
Already, Yoon’s former defense minister, Kim Yong-hyun, had been detained on insurrection charges related to an investigation of his part in the six hours of martial law.
On Wednesday, in his eastern Seoul detention facility, the ex-official made an attempt on his life, according to a Yonhap report.
The head of the correctional center told lawmakers during a parliamentary hearing that Kim has since been placed in a protective cell and his health remains stable, the report added.
The events come amid continued calls from opposition lawmakers, civil groups and protestors for Yoon to be removed from office.
South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party (DP) is reportedly set to introduce a second impeachment motion against Yoon Wednesday, after the president survived an earlier parliamentary vote on Saturday.
While members of Yoon’s party left parliament ahead of the impeachment vote, its leader has since said the president would step down.