South Korea’s Yoon focus of police ‘treason’ probe over martial law chaos 

Police in South Korea have opened an investigation into President Yoon Suk-yeol for alleged “treason” related to his brief declaration of martial law this week, according to reports.

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported on Thursday that a team at the National Police Agency has been assigned to investigate the president, while allegations of treason have also been made against the country’s recently resigned Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, as well as army chief of staff General Park An-su and Interior Minister Lee Sang-min.

The four have been accused “of treason and other related charges for their roles in the declaration and subsequent lifting of martial law on Tuesday” night, the news agency reports.

One complaint for treason was filed against the president by a minor opposition party and a second was submitted by a group of 59 activists, Yonhap said.

Citing non-specific threats from “antistate forces” and obstructionist political opponents, President Yoon imposed martial law for about six hours late on Tuesday night before reversing course after parliament held a vote to oppose the move and people took to the streets in protest.

Yoon also faces an impeachment vote in parliament on Saturday for his declaration of martial law.

The country’s courts and a government department that investigates corruption among high-ranking officials are also considering launching their own probes of the events, which resulted in armed South Korean troops storming the National Assembly compound onboard helicopters and smashing windows and doors to enter the building.

In a separate report, Yonhap said a prosecutor at the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office had issued a travel ban on South Korea’s former Defense Minister Kim, who resigned early on Thursday.

Kim, who is reported to have suggested the imposition of martial law to the president, is being investigated for “sedition” over his role in the incident, Yonhap said.

Yonhap also reports that “the prosecution is known to have banned other defendants from leaving the country besides” the former defence minister.

A South Korean marine veteran gets his head shaved during a rally demanding South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s removal from power, in front of the presidential office, in Seoul, South Korea, on December 5, 2024 [Kim Soo-hyeon/Reuters]

Earlier, Yoon’s office said the president had accepted the defence minister’s resignation and he would be replaced by South Korea’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Choi Byung-hyuk, a former four-star army general.

Legislators from the opposition Democratic Party plan to seek a vote in parliament to impeach Yoon on Saturday evening, a party spokesperson told reporters.

“The Yoon Suk-yeol regime’s declaration of emergency martial law caused great confusion and fear among our people,” Democratic Party MP Kim Seung-won told the National Assembly.

Yoon’s governing People Power Party is divided over the crisis but has said it would oppose the impeachment of the president, who has two years left in his five-year term.

The opposition Democratic Party needs at least eight of the 108 People Power Party’s legislators to back the impeachment bill for it to pass with a two-thirds majority of the 300-seat parliament.

A protester holds a placard during a rally to condemn South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s surprise declaration of martial law, on December 4, 2024, Seoul, South Korea [Kim Kyung-hoon/Reuters]

If the impeachment bill passes, South Korea’s Constitutional Court will then decide whether to uphold the motion – a process that could take up to 180 days. If Yoon were to be suspended from exercising power, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo would fill in as leader.

If Yoon resigns or is removed from office, a new election would be held within 60 days.

Yoon has been embraced by leaders in the West as a partner in the US-led effort to unify democracies against growing authoritarianism in China, Russia and elsewhere.

But he had caused unease among South Koreans by branding his critics as “communist totalitarian and antistate forces”.

In November, he denied wrongdoing in response to influence-peddling allegations against him and his wife and he has taken a hard line against labour unions.