Former South Korea’s defence minister Kim Yong-hyun was formally arrested late on Tuesday on multiple charges including the “abuse of authority to obstruct the exercise of rights”
Wednesday, Yonhap reported that Mr Kim had attempted to kill himself shortly before the arrest.
A spokesperson for the Seoul Central District Court told AFP earlier in the day that Mr Kim had been arrested amid concerns that evidence might be destroyed.
Mr Kim said through his lawyers that “all responsibility for this situation lies solely with me” and that subordinates were “merely following my orders and fulfilling their assigned duties”.
Mr Kim, who was detained on Sunday, has been slapped with a travel ban along with the former interior minister and the general in charge of the martial law operation.
The operation saw troops and helicopters sent to parliament in an apparent but failed attempt to prevent members of parliament from voting down Mr Yoon’s martial law declaration.
Cho Ji-ho, commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency, and Kim Bong-sik, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, were also arrested early on Wednesday, police said.(ABC)