After the attempt to implement martial law in South Korea, police raided the office of President Yoon Suk Yeol, according to a statement by a presidential security official on Wednesday.
South Korean security officials are engaged in a widening investigation into the embattled leader’s failed attempt at martial law. Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, a close confidant of Yoon, attempted suicide at a detention center.
Police had arrested him earlier, so the attempt was unsuccessful, according to a statement from a Justice Ministry official given to Parliament during a hearing. The Presidential Security Service has confirmed the raid officially as well.
The National Police Agency declined to immediately confirm the search. The Yonhap news agency, in their statement, said that police investigators presented a search warrant, treating Yoon as the subject.
As the probe against Yoon and top police and military officials continues, the raid marks a dramatic escalation in the surprise Dec. 3 martial law declaration that plunged South Korea into a constitutional crisis.
Yoon was not at the presidential office compound during the raid, Yonhap said. His official residence is at a separate location. He has not been seen in public since apologizing on Saturday for attempting to impose martial law.
Kim, the former defense minister, was found by guards after attempting suicide inside a detention center using his underwear, the Justice Ministry’s chief of correction services, Shin Yong-hae, told Parliament’s justice committee.
