The Republic of Korea’s (ROK) former defense minister, Kim Yong-hyun, attempted suicide following his arrest on Sunday to do with accountability for the short-lived emergency declaration of martial law last week.
Yong-hyun resigned following the debacle and apologized for his part in issuing the emergency declaration, which drove hundreds of Korean citizens to the streets of Seoul in protest.
After attempting to strangle himself using a shirt and underwear in a detention center, he has now been placed under a suicide watch to “protect his life,” a Justice Ministry official said.
The lieutenant claimed “sole responsibility” for imposing a state of emergency in ROK, which only lasted for six hours. Lawmakers, including members of Yeol’s own party, voted to immediately rescind the order, which the president later did.
Yeol is now under a criminal investigation on allegations of attempting an “insurrection” and is prohibited from leaving the country until further order.
The right-wing president has not been seen in public since Saturday and was absent when law enforcement raided his office, Reuters reported.