In South Korea, police have detained the current and former heads of military intelligence as part of an investigation into martial law, which was imposed for six hours by President Yun Seok-yeol.
This is reported by Yonhap.
A special police investigation team said they had detained Major General Moon Sang-ho, the current commander, and Noh Sang-won, the former head of the command.
Moon Sang-ho is suspected of sending soldiers under his command to the National Election Commission office in Gwacheon (south of Seoul) after President Yoon Seok-yeol declared martial law.
His military arrived on the scene two minutes after the announcement, so police believe Moon knew about Yoon Seok-yeolʼs plans or was involved in preparing for them.
Noh Sang-won is an assistant to former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, and therefore is suspected of participating in the preparation of the martial law decree.
What preceded
Yoon Seok-yeoldeclared martial law in the country on the night of December 3-4 to “protect the constitutional order” — the first time since the 1980s. The reason was that the opposition Democratic Party of South Korea, which has a majority in parliament, rejected the government’s budget proposal and decided to impeach the state auditor and the attorney general.
An hour later, the South Korean parliament passed a resolution calling for the lifting of martial law. The South Korean government supported the "martial law lifting plan" as demanded by the parliament. Martial law lasted for about six hours.
As the parliamentarians passed the resolution, people in the streets sang the national anthem and applauded. According to preliminary estimates, four thousand citizens gathered near the parliament building.
On December 8, Yun Seok-yeol was reported on suspicion of treason and abuse of power. Subsequently, the Chief of Staff of the South Korean Army was removed, and the former Minister of Defense was arrested.
- President Yoon Seok-yeol has low approval ratings in the country, in part due to rising food and housing prices, labor conflicts, and a sharp drop in the birth rate. The presidentʼs reputation has also been under attack due to a hidden camera video showing First Lady Kim Geun-hee allegedly accepting a $2,200 Dior bag as a gift.
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