S Korea ex-defence minister arrested

Kim charged with insurrection amid political turmoil

SEOUL:

South Korea's former defence minister has been formally arrested on insurrection charges related to President Yoon Suk Yeol's brief declaration of martial law, which plunged the country into chaos, a court spokesperson said early Wednesday.

Yoon suspended civilian rule a week ago and sent special forces and helicopters to parliament, before lawmakers forced him to rescind the decree in a country assumed to be a stable democracy. A formal arrest warrant was issued late Tuesday for former defence minister Kim Yong-hyun, who had already been detained on Sunday, in the first court decision related to the ongoing political turmoil caused by martial law.

Charges included "engaging in critical duties during an insurrection" and "abuse of authority to obstruct the exercise of rights".

A spokesperson for the Seoul Central District Court told AFP early Wednesday that Kim's formal arrest came amid concerns that evidence might be destroyed.

It was determined that Kim's alleged offences "fall within the scope of crimes for which the prosecution can initiate an investigation," the spokesperson said.

Kim was contrite Tuesday, saying that "all responsibility for this situation lies solely with me".

He "deeply apologised" to the South Korean people and said that his subordinates were "merely following my orders and fulfilling their assigned duties", in a statement made through his lawyers.

Earlier Tuesday, Army Special Warfare Command chief Kwak Jong-geun told lawmakers that Yoon had ordered him to stop enough MPs from gathering at parliament to vote down the martial law decree.

"The president called me directly through a secret line. He mentioned that it appears the quorum has not yet been met and instructed me to quickly break down the door and drag out the people (lawmakers) inside," Kwak said.