Asia-Pacific Newsweek
December 30, 2024
Seoul – Investigators examining charges of insurrection and abuse of power against President Yoon Seok-yeol received testimony from former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who allegedly conspired with the president and relayed Yoon Seok-yeol’s orders to military command during the president’s ill-fated martial law order in December Official. 3-4.
The president was ordered to appear in court for questioning by 10 a.m. Sunday, but he failed to comply, as he had done with two previous summonses.
The Office for the Investigation of Senior Officials' Corruption received investigative information related to Kim Jong Il from the prosecutor's office on Saturday. The former defense minister is currently under arrest for alleged involvement in the insurgency.
Prosecutors recently seized Kim Jong-un's cell phone to investigate his phone calls with Yoon Eun-hye, which may be related to orders to mobilize troops to blockade Congress, occupy the National Election Commission and arrest politicians during martial law.
Testimony revealed that Kim Jong Un, a close friend of Yoon and then-Defense Minister, was the one who suggested declaring martial law.
The phone will undergo forensic analysis on Monday.
Investigative committees and prosecutors have been targeting Kim Jong Un and other senior military commanders who have been detained to investigate possible illegal orders issued during martial law.
Kim Jong Un, martial law commander General Park An-soo, Army counterintelligence commander General Yeo In-hyung, Capital Defense Command commander Lieutenant General Lee Jin-woo, former and current defense intelligence commanders Roh Sang-won and Moon Sang-ho, and other prominent figures have been arrested.
Choo Kyung Ho, who recently resigned as a floor representative of the ruling People's Power Party, was summoned for questioning by prosecutors on suspicion of deliberately obstructing parliament's vote to end martial law.
Yoon, who is under criminal investigation for rebellion and abuse of power and is currently undergoing an impeachment trial, did not respond to a third subpoena issued by the investigative committee last Thursday. Representatives of the president claimed to local media that the investigative committee had no jurisdiction to investigate his acts of rebellion.
Possible options for the investigative committee include asking a court to issue an arrest warrant for the president. The constitution provides that the president can be prosecuted in the event of an insurrection, but no sitting president has ever been arrested.
The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea continued its attacks on the president and the ruling party. South Korean Prime Minister Han Deok-soo stated that he would not approve the unilateral appointment of a new Constitutional Court judge by the opposition party, so he passed a motion to impeach the South Korean Prime Minister.
A Democratic Party official told local media that the party is considering an impeachment motion against current acting President Choi Sang-mok if he also refuses to approve the appointment of new judges.
