By Eric Vandenbroeck and co-workers

The New Debacle in South Korea

Following our earlier comment about the severe situation in South Korea as South Koreans and supporters of democracy around the world anxiously watch how this situation unfolds, it is crucial to learn from what happened. This incident serves as a stark reminder that civil-military relations are never static and can regress without vigilant management. If there is a silver lining to this situation, it is that South Koreans now have an opportunity to confront the lingering legacies of military dictatorship and take definitive steps toward establishing healthy, sustainable civil-military relations. These steps should include instituting a mandatory moratorium before former military officers assume civilian defense positions and diversifying national defense leadership to prevent too much power from concentrating among Army elites with homogeneous backgrounds. Most importantly, the South Korean military should mandate the comprehensive inclusion of lessons on democratic civil-military relations in its military education curriculum so these principles will guide service members’ future decision-making.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's former defense minister was arrested on Sunday over his alleged role in Yoon's declaration of martial law last week, prosecutors said.

Yoon survived an impeachment vote in the opposition-led parliament late on Saturday, prompted by Tuesday's short-lived attempt to impose martial law, but the leader of his party said the president would effectively be excluded from his duties before eventually stepping down.

The leader of Yoon's People Power Party, Han Dong-hoon, in a joint press conference with the prime minister, said on Sunday that Yoon will not be involved in foreign and other state affairs before his early resignation.

Ex-Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who stepped down on Wednesday after Yoon rescinded martial law, was seen as a central figure in the debacle. He had proposed martial law to the president, according to a senior military official and the impeachment filings.

The prosecution's special investigative team arrested Kim on Sunday and seized his mobile phone, it said in a brief statement to reporters. Before the arrest, investigators questioned Kim, who voluntarily appeared at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday (1630 GMT on Saturday), Yonhap news agency reported.

Opposition lawmakers allege Yoon mobilised military forces to block a vote by lawmakers seeking to nullify what they said was an unconstitutional martial law decree.

The national police raided Kim's office on Sunday as part of an investigation into claims of treason against Yoon and top ministers, Yonhap said.

Yoon Suk Yeol (L), President of South Korea, stands next to the then new Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun after presenting him with his certificate of appointment at the Presidential Office in Seoul. South Korean police arrested the country's former defence minister Kim Yong Hyun amid an investigation into alleged treason, news agency Yonhap reported on 08 December.

Hours before Saturday's impeachment vote, Yoon addressed the nation in a televised speech to apologize for his martial law decree, saying he would put his fate in the hands of his party. Han said the comments were effectively a promise to leave office early, adding that the ruling party would consult with the prime minister to manage state affairs.

Three minority opposition parties filed a complaint with the prosecution against Yoon, Kim, and martial law commander Park An-su, accusing them of insurrection. If convicted, the crime of leading an insurrection is punishable by death or life imprisonment, with or without prison labour.

South Korea’s former defence minister, Kim Yong-hyun, was arrested on Sunday for his alleged role in last week’s controversial martial law declaration by President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Prosecutors confirmed that Kim, seen as a key figure in the declaration, is being investigated for proposing the decree to Yoon, which sparked the country’s worst political crisis in decades. 

The martial law, announced late Tuesday, granted sweeping emergency powers to the military to suppress “anti-state forces.” It was rescinded just six hours later following backlash from parliament, which unanimously voted to nullify it despite military and police cordons. 

Kim voluntarily appeared at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office early Sunday before being arrested. A special investigative team seized his mobile phone, while national police raided his office as part of a broader treason investigation into Yoon and senior officials, including martial law commander Park An-su. 

Three minority opposition parties have accused Yoon and his ministers of insurrection. If convicted, leading an insurrection carries a maximum penalty of death or life imprisonment. Opposition lawmakers allege Yoon’s martial law aimed to block parliament’s efforts to overturn what they deemed an unconstitutional decree. 

Yoon narrowly survived an impeachment vote on Saturday, but his ruling People Power Party has effectively sidelined him. Party leader Han Dong-hoon announced that Yoon would step down early and refrain from handling state or foreign affairs in the interim. He said, during a press conference on Sunday, that the ruling party will consult with the prime minister to manage state affairs.

In a televised address hours before the impeachment vote, Yoon apologized for the martial law decree, vowing to accept his party’s decision about his political future. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo reassured allies, including the United States and Japan, that the government would work to maintain trust amid the unfolding crisis.

 

Conclusion:

South Korea’s leadership crisis deepened on Sunday (Dec 8) as prosecutors named President Yoon Suk Yeol as a subject in a criminal investigation over his bid last week to impose martial law, his former defense minister was arrested, and his interior minister resigned.

Park Se-hyun, head of the office leading the prosecution’s investigation into last week’s martial law turmoil, confirmed the news of the Yoon probe during a press briefing.

“We have received numerous complaints against President Yoon Suk Yeol, and we are conducting investigations accordingly. Procedurally, it is correct that a suspect is booked once a complaint or accusation is filed,” said Park.

Yoon survived an impeachment vote in the opposition-led Parliament late on Dec 7, but the leader of his own party said the President would effectively be excluded from his duties before eventually stepping down.

That proposal, which appeared to win tacit approval from the Yoon-appointed Prime Minister on Dec 8, drew condemnation from opposition lawmakers who said it was another unconstitutional power grab to delegate authority without resignation or impeachment.

Thousands of people rallied in front of the Parliament in Seoul on Dec 8, calling for the impeachment and arrest of Yoon and the disbandment of his ruling People Power Party (PPP).

Yoon’s martial law declaration plunged Asia’s fourth-largest economy, which is also a key US military ally, into its greatest political crisis in decades, threatening to shatter South Korea’s reputation as a democratic success story.

 

 

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