Kim Yong-hyun, the former defense minister of South Korea, was taken into custody early Sunday as prosecutors investigated his role in President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived effort this past week to impose martial law. That episode set off political upheaval in South Korea, including an opposition-led attempt to impeach the president and huge protests.
Kim is the first person to be detained as prosecutors begin their investigation into allegations made by Yoon’s political opponents. The opposition asserts that Yoon and his followers in the government and military committed insurrection and other crimes when they sent soldiers and police officers into the National Assembly to seize the legislature shortly after the president declared martial law Tuesday night.
Kim, who surrendered himself to investigators early Sunday, was arrested without a court warrant. Police and prosecutors can use such an "emergency arrest” when they have grounds to suspect a person committed a serious crime and there is risk of them fleeing or destroying evidence. They must apply for a court warrant within two days to formally arrest the suspect.
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