South Korean Army Chief arrested over role in martial law declaration

South Korea’s Army Chief of Staff General Park An-su, who served as the chief commander during President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived imposition of martial law, was arrested today. Prosecutors said, Park was arrested on a court-issued warrant on charges of playing a key role in an insurrection and abuse of power.

    

Park is the fifth key figure who was arrested over Yoon’s 3rd December failed bid to impose martial law. So far, former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun, Lt Gen Yeo In-hyung, head of the Defence Counterintelligence Command, Lt Gen Kwak Jong-keun, head of the Army Special Warfare Command, and Lt Gen Lee Jin-woo, head of the Capital Defence Command, have been arrested.

     

On 9th of this month, South Korean prosecutors investigating alleged



treason following President Yoon’s short-lived martial law imposition questioned Gen Park, who had been named to lead the martial law command. Prosecutors have called in Park and other military leaders who were under the command of former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun during martial law enforcement. Kim, who was put under emergency detention on 6th of this month, was a central figure in Yoon’s abrupt martial law declaration that lasted six hours before being withdrawn due to a National Assembly vote against it.

      

On Saturday, the National Assembly voted to impeach President Yoon over his botched imposition of martial law, suspending him from his duties until the Constitutional Court decides whether to reinstate him or remove him from office.