South Korean prosecutors are detaining the former defense chief for imposing martial law

South Korean prosecutors have detained a former defense minister who allegedly recommended President Yoon Suk Yeol’s brief but stunning imposition of martial law last week, making him the first person detained in the case.

The development comes a day after Mr Yoon avoided an opposition-led move to impeach him in parliament, with most ruling party politicians boycotting a vote to prevent the two-thirds majority needed to suspend his presidential powers. The main opposition Democratic Party said it would prepare a new impeachment motion against Mr. Yoon.

Former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun was arrested in a Seoul detention center on Sunday after being investigated by prosecutors, a law enforcement official said.

The official gave no further details, but South Korean media reported that Kim voluntarily turned himself in at a Seoul prosecutor’s office, where his cellphone was seized and he was detained. Reports say police raided Mr Kim’s former office and residence on Sunday.

Chief Prosecutor Park Se-hyun said in a televised statement on Sunday that authorities had launched a 62-member special investigation team into the matrimonial law case, vowing to “leave no suspicion”.

Mr. Kim was a central figure in Mr. Yoon’s martial law enforcement, which led to special forces troops surrounding the National Assembly building and army helicopters hovering above it. The military withdrew after parliament voted unanimously to overturn Mr Yoon’s decree, forcing his cabinet to lift it before daylight on Wednesday.

In the impeachment document against Mr. Kim, the Democratic Party and other opposition parties accused him of proposing martial law to Mr. Yoon. Vice Defense Minister Kim Seon Ho told parliament that Kim Yong Hyun ordered troops to be sent to the National Assembly.

The Democratic Party called Mr Yoon’s imposition of martial law an “unconstitutional, illegal rebellion or coup”. It filed police complaints against at least nine people, including Mr. Yoon and Mr. Kim, for alleged rebellion.

In a statement on Wednesday, Mr Kim said: “All troops who performed martial law duties acted on my instructions and all responsibility rests with me.”

Prosecutor General Shim Woo Jung told reporters on Thursday that the prosecution plans to investigate charges of rebellion against Mr. Yoon following the complaints. While the president is largely immune from prosecution while in office, that does not extend to charges of rebellion or treason.

On Saturday, Mr. Yoon issued an apology for the martial law decree, saying he would not shirk legal or political responsibility for the statement. He said he would leave it to his party to chart a course through the country’s political turmoil, “including matters related to my tenure.”

Since taking office in 2022 for a single five-year term, Mr. Yoon has struggled to push his agenda through an opposition-controlled parliament and faced low approval ratings amid scandals involving him and his wife.

In his martial law announcement on Tuesday night, Mr Yoon called parliament a “bunch of criminals” blocking state business and vowed to remove “shameless North Korean followers and anti-state forces”.

The declaration of martial law was the first of its kind in more than 40 years in South Korea. The unrest has raised alarm among key diplomatic partners such as the US and Japan.

Yoon’s declaration of martial law drew criticism from the ruling conservative party, but it is determined to oppose his impeachment, apparently because it fears losing the presidency to the liberals.

The leader of the People’s Power Party, Han Dong-hun, said on Sunday that his party would work with the government to ensure Mr. Yoon’s swift and orderly exit from office in a way that would minimize confusion, but did not say when that would happen. this. He also maintained that Mr. Yoon would not be involved in state affairs, including foreign policy.

The Democratic Party criticized Mr. Han’s comments, saying that excluding a sitting president from state affairs was not supported by the constitution. The party said the authorities should immediately arrest Mr. Yoon and everyone else involved in the case.

The presidential office said on Sunday that Mr. Yoon had accepted the resignation offer of Security Minister Lee Sang-min, who also faced an opposition-led impeachment motion over his alleged role in enforcing martial law.

In a parliamentary hearing on Friday, Mr Lee, one of Mr Yoon’s closest associates, defended the martial law decree, saying the president had exercised his powers “within the bounds of constitutional processes and the law”.