The Nation Newspaper

Tag: President Yoon

  • South Korea’s suspended president Yoon detained

    South Korea’s suspended president Yoon detained

    Suspended South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday was detained for briefly imposing martial law in December, the official Yonhap news agency reported.

    Police officers and staff from South Korea’s anti-corruption office escorted Yoon from his residence to take him to the public prosecutor’s office in their second attempt to do so, Yonhap said.

    The operation appeared to be peaceful in spite of serious security concerns.

    The agency cited the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), as saying that the detention warrant was executed at 10:33 am (0133 GMT).

    This marks the first time in the country’s history that a sitting president of South Korea has been arrested, Yoon was seen entering the CIO headquarters for questioning

    According to Yonhap, investigators would seek a warrant to arrest the president formally within 48 hours.

    “Although it is an illegal investigation, I decided to agree to appear at the CIO in order to prevent ugly bloodshed,” Yoon said in a recorded video message released after his arrest.

    The Constitutional Court earlier on Tuesday had postponed the first hearing in the impeachment proceedings against Yoon because he was not present.

    The 64-year-old, through his lawyer, had stated that he did not attend due to security concerns.

    On December 3, Yoon briefly declared martial law during a budget dispute with the opposition.

    In mid-December, lawmakers removed him from office until further notice on charges of abuse of power and sedition, with the Constitutional Court currently reviewing the decision.

    Yoon has defended his” meaning his political opponents.

    For the time being, the former finance minister and deputy prime minister Choi Sang Mok is in charge of state affairs.

    (dpa/NAN)

  • South Korean police raid President’s office over martial law

    South Korean police raid President’s office over martial law

    South Korean police tried to search President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office on Wednesday but have not been able to enter the main building, Yonhap news reported as an investigation into the U.S. ally’s decision to declare martial law widened.

    The attempt to search the presidential office significantly escalates the investigation against Yoon and top police and military officers over the Dec. 3 martial law declaration that plunged the country with Asia’s fourth-largest economy into a constitutional crisis.

    Yoon is now the subject of a criminal investigation into insurrection allegations and is banned from leaving the country, but he has not been arrested or questioned by authorities.

    A presidential security service official said earlier on Wednesday that the police raid of Yoon’s office was under way, confirming media reports at the time. Yonhap later said investigators at the presidential compound had not yet entered the main building.

    Yonhap said police had not managed to agree with the Secret Service on the method of the seizure and search. Police declined to comment.

    “We are responding based on the law and past government cases,” a presidential office official said denied that the office was opposing the search.

    Former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun, a close confidant of Yoon, and two senior police officers including the national police chief have been arrested on charges of insurrection as part of the investigation.

    Read Also: South Korean president faces impeachment calls after martial law debacle

    Kim attempted suicide using a shirt and underwear late on Tuesday night at a detention centre where he is being held, a Justice Ministry official told parliament.

    He was now under observation and his life was not in danger, the official added.

    Kim has resigned and apologised for his part in the short-lived imposition of emergency rule, saying he alone was responsible.

    Soon after Yoon’s late-night declaration of martial law, lawmakers including some members of his own party voted to demand the president immediately rescind the order, which he did hours later.

    REUTERS

  • President Yoon banned from leaving South Korea

    President Yoon banned from leaving South Korea

    The South Korean government ordered an overseas travel ban on President Yoon Suk Yeol.

    The South Korean news agency Yonhap reported on Monday that the travel ban is due to the ongoing investigation into Yoon, which involves suspicion of high treason.

    Yoon unexpectedly imposed martial law on his country last Tuesday night, but hours later, after massive political resistance, he repealed the order.

    Read Also: South Korean president faces impeachment calls after martial law debacle

    On Saturday evening, a motion by the opposition to impeach the president in parliament failed. However, public pressure against the 63-year-old continues.

    (dpa/NAN)