Ex-Defence Minister Tries to commit Suicide in Custody, Apologizes to South Koreans, Says He’s “Merely Following Orders and Fulfilling Their Assigned Duties”.

Former South Korea defence minister Kim Yong-hyun tried to kill himself shortly before being formally arrested over his role in the martial law operation, Yonhap reported Wednesday.
President Yoon Sook Yeol declared martial law on December 3 and sent soldiers and helicopters to parliament, but 190 lawmakers rushed to parliament and passed a motion to lift it, forcing him to rescind the decision, making Kim resigned on Thursday.
Kim was detained on Sunday and formally arrested on Tuesday over charges of treason and is accused of being complicit in imposing martial law, including “engaging in critical duties during an insurrection” and “abuse of authority to obstruct the exercise of rights”.
He is being held at the Seoul Dongbu Detention Center in the capital.
During a parliamentary hearing, the commissioner general of the Korea Correctional Service said the former minister tried to kill himself minutes before his arrest was announced.
Shortly before midnight (1500 GMT Tuesday), “former Minister of Defence Kim Yong-hyun attempted suicide at the Seoul Dongbu Detention Center,” said Shin Yong-hae.
Adding that he received the report Wednesday morning, Shin said Kim had tried to kill himself in the toilet using a string from his clothing.
“A control room staff member intervened, and when they opened the door, he immediately gave up the attempt,” said Shin.
Shin added that Kim was now under protection in a secure cell and in good health.
“The medical examination results indicate that the inmate’s health status is good without any abnormalities, and he is currently living a normal life in the facility,” the justice ministry said in a statement sent to AFP.
Kim had issued an apology on Tuesday, saying through his lawyers that “all responsibility for this situation lies solely with me”.
He “deeply apologised” to the South Korean people and said that his subordinates were “merely following my orders and fulfilling their assigned duties”.