SEOUL: South Korean police investigators have seized the secure phone used by former defence minister Kim Yong-hyun (pic), who is suspected of instigating the short-lived martial law declared by President Yoon Suk-yeol.
The device, which has been called a “secret phone” by local media, is believed to contain data that may be key to the investigation, including evidence of Kim communicating with Yoon to enforce martial law on Dec 3.
The phone is also resistant to wire-tapping or call recording, according to South Korean media.
It was discovered on Dec 12 by a joint investigation team comprising units from the police and the Defence Ministry, which is probing Yoon’s martial law declaration.
The special team, formed on Dec 11, retrieved the phone and its connecting servers after conducting a search and seizure operation at the headquarters of the Ministry of National Defence, Yonhap news agency reported. The ministry’s offices are located in the same compound as the presidential office.
Yoon and Kim, who attended the same high school, reportedly used secure phones to relay orders to commanders in the field during the six hours that the martial law was in effect between Dec 3 and 4, according to Yonhap.
The police had previously made an unsuccessful attempt to seize Kim’s phone during a raid on his office and official residence on Dec 8.
Kim was arrested on Dec 10 on charges including “engaging in critical duties during an insurrection” and “abuse of authority to obstruct the exercise of rights”.
The former defence minister, who has apologised and taken full blame for the short-lived martial law, attempted suicide at a Seoul detention centre. He remains in custody in a secure cell and is in good health, a correctional officer has said.
Yoon faces another impeachment vote on Dec 14, a week after the first one failed because most of his ruling People Power Party members boycotted it. Some have since said that they will vote in favour of impeachment.
South Korean protestors across the country, including in capital Seoul and Jeju island, have called for the president to step down. - The Straits Times/ANN
