The development came after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol avoided an opposition-led bid to impeach him in parliament
South Korean prosecutors on Sunday detained a former defense minister who allegedly recommended martial law imposition to President Yoon Suk Yeol, making him the first figure detained over the case, news reports said.last week’s brief but stunning
The reported development came a day after Yoon to impeach him in parliament, with most ruling party lawmakers boycotting a floor vote to prevent the two-thirds majority needed to suspend his presidential powers. The main liberal opposition Democratic Party said it will prepare a new impeachment motion against Yoon.avoided an opposition-led bid
However, according to Agence France-Presse, Yoon’s ruling People Power Party said in a statement Sunday that it had “effectively obtained (Yoon’s) promise to step down.”
“Until the president steps down, the president will be effectively excluded from his duties”, it said in the statement, per AFP.
People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon and South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo were set to meet later Sunday to discuss plans for Yoon’s “orderly retreat”, the party said.
On Sunday, ex-Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun voluntarily appeared at a Seoul prosecutors’ office, where he had his mobile phone confiscated and was detained, Yonhap news agency reported.
Other South Korean media carried similar reports, saying Kim was moved to a Seoul detention center. The reports said police were searching Kim’s former office and residence on Sunday.
Repeated calls to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office and the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office were unanswered.
