South Korea’s top police officials detained over martial law bid

General Cho Ji-ho and Kim Bong-sik are being investigated for their roles in deploying police forces to the National Assembly on December 3

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South Korean Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min, (right) talks with National Police Agency Commissioner General Cho Ji-ho and Kim Bong-sik (left) head of the metropolitan police agency of Seoul, at the National Assembly in Seoul last week. Photo: Yonhap via AP

Published: 12:30am, 11 Dec 2024Updated: 1:07pm, 11 Dec 2024

South Korea’s two most senior police officers have been detained to be investigated for their roles in enforcing President Yoon Suk-yeol’s short-lived martial law decree last week, police said on Wednesday.

The development came hours before the main liberal opposition Democratic Party submits a new motion to impeach Yoon as the country’s main law enforcement institutions expand their investigation into whether the president’s declaration amounted to rebellion. The first impeachment attempt failed last Saturday when the ruling party boycotted the vote. The Democratic Party said it aims to put the new motion to a vote on Saturday.

Police said National Police Agency Commissioner General Cho Ji-ho and Kim Bong-sik, head of the metropolitan police agency of the capital, Seoul, were being held at Seoul’s Namdaemun police station.

They have been investigated for their roles in deploying police forces to the National Assembly in an attempt to block lawmakers from entering the parliament to vote to lift Yoon’s martial law decree, which was abruptly announced on the night of December 3.

Yoon Suk-yeol (left), President of South Korea, stands next to the then-Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun after presenting him with his certificate of appointment at the Presidential Office in Seoul in September. Photo: dpa

Earlier on Wednesday, Yoon’s former defence minister, Kim Yong-hyun, was formally arrested after a Seoul court approved a warrant for him on allegations of playing a key role in a rebellion and committing abuse of power. Kim became the first person arrested over the December 3 martial law decree. A conviction on the charge of rebellion carries a maximum death sentence.