SEOUL: Kim Yong-hyun, a former defence minister and close confidant to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, became the first official to be arrested late on Tuesday (Dec 10)
Here is what we know about Kim and his role in the martial law attempt.Kim was born in 1959 in the southeastern coastal town of Masan. He joined the Korea Military Academy, which educates and trains army cadets, in 1978 and took up multiple key roles including capital defence commander and chief of operations at the Joint Chiefs of Staff before retiring in 2017 as a three-star general.
Kim has displayed hardline views on North Korea and general security issues, warning in his first speech as defence chief that the regime of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would pay a"horrendous price" and ultimately see its end if it staged a provocation.When Yoon nominated Kim to defence minister last August, his chief of staff described him as the person who"understands the commander-in-chief's intentions better than anyone else".
At an unplanned cabinet meeting that Yoon convened minutes before his late-night declaration on Dec 3, Kim recommended imposing martial law, Lee and other officials told parliament. Kim's actions were an about-face from his denial of accusations from the opposition during his confirmation hearing in September that the Chungam fraternity had been planning for martial law, calling them"false political propaganda".Kim has stepped down and faces criminal investigations. He was banned from leaving the country and has been detained since Sunday over charges of insurrection and abuse of power, among others.
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