logo
South Korea arrests Yoon Suk-yeol's key aide as martial law inquiry intensifies

South Korea arrests Yoon Suk-yeol's key aide as martial law inquiry intensifies

Advertisement
Meanwhile, special prosecutors, armed with a court warrant, visited Yoon at the Seoul Detention Centre to bring him out of his cell for questioning. Yoon has been
refusing to cooperate , citing health concerns.
Early on Friday, the Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest warrant for Lee Sang-min, Yoon's former interior minister, citing concerns over potential destruction of evidence.
Lee, 60, was taken into custody immediately and is now being held at the same detention centre as Yoon, who was rearrested on July 10 in connection with the controversial decree that plunged the country into a constitutional crisis.
Jung Suk-koo, former executive editor of the progressive Hankyoreh daily, said Lee and former defence minister Kim Yong-hyun – who was arrested in December – were pivotal to Yoon's alleged attempt at a self-coup.
Former interior minister Lee Sang-min during a special committee hearing on February 4. Photo: EPA-EFE/Yonhap
'Through the former defence minister overseeing the military and the home minister commanding the police, Yoon mobilised both soldiers and police in a failed bid to seize the National Assembly,' Jung told This Week in Asia.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

When a university student, drugged and sexually assaulted by her boss, ended up dead
When a university student, drugged and sexually assaulted by her boss, ended up dead

South China Morning Post

time3 hours ago

  • South China Morning Post

When a university student, drugged and sexually assaulted by her boss, ended up dead

'A wealthy businessman who killed a young student with chloroform after luring her to a hotel to film a pornographic video had made explicit videos of three of his employees,' reported the South China Morning Post on August 12, 1994. 'Luk Yee-ling, 21, died after she was drugged and subjected to a sex attack by property agent Hon Leung-fong and his lover, Phoebe Wong Yim-ping. How the South China Morning Post reported the crime on August 12, 1994. Photo: SCMP Archives 'After stripping the Baptist College student, Hon filmed her lying naked on the floor and left the camera running as he indecently assaulted her, the High Court heard. Luk, who had been knocked out with two bottles of chloroform, never regained consciousness and died in hospital two days later. 'Hon and Wong have denied murdering Luk at the Royal Park Hotel, Sha Tin, on July 24 last year but have admitted manslaughter. Hon, 33, described as a 'Hong Kong success story', got to know Luk after she joined his property company, Dairy Sky Industries, during a college holiday. 'Prosecutor Pat Loftus said Wong, 28, lured Luk to the hotel on the pretext of giving her a birthday party. Wong's defence counsel, Niall Stirling, said the former karaoke hostess had been 'infatuated' with Hon, who held considerable influence over her. The pair had started an affair after Hon suggested Wong could repay a $50,000 loan with sexual favours at $5,000 a time. Mr Stirling said: 'He told her he would like to treat her as a mistress, but he wanted to shoot a videotape of her as some sort of token he would retain. He said if she refused to be filmed she would be dismissed and would immediately have to repay the debt. A video film was made of the two of a sexually explicit nature.' Co-defendant Phoebe Wong Yim-ping in custody following her sentencing at the Hong Kong High Court. Photo: SCMP Archives ''Prior to that he had had sexual relations with two other of his female employees and made video films of them, again of a sexually explicit nature.' But Mr Stirling said that in July the businessman told Wong, who also worked for his firm, he wanted sex with someone else and suggested Luk. Mr Stirling added that '[Hon] said he would want to shoot a videotape of her naked body as he liked to shoot videotapes of girls with whom he had sexual activities to keep as souvenirs. When police raided his home they found a number of videotapes including one involving the first and second defendants in various sexually explicit situations.'' On August 17, the Post reported that 'the wealthy Tuen Mun businessman who killed a 21-year-old student with chloroform after luring her to a hotel room on the pretext of attending a birthday party was yesterday jailed for 8 ½ years [after he] videotaped his sex attack on Elaine Luk Yee-ling with the help of his mistress Phoebe Wong Yim-ping, 28'. 'Wong was given seven years' jail for her part in what Mr Justice Leonard yesterday described as a 'horrifying, wicked scheme'. The High Court judge said Hon had carried out a 'carefully planned' assault on Luk to gratify his own 'perverted sexual inclinations'. Wong could not be excused, as she had tricked Luk into believing she would be attending a birthday party. The jail terms the pair received were met with dismay by Luk's family and friends.' Mr Luk Pak-luen (right), the father of the victim, and his lawyer leave the Hong Kong Legal Department after requesting a review of the sentences for his daughter's killers. Photo: SCMP Archives On November 10, the couple 'had their jail sentences substantially increased by the Court of Appeal. The court agreed 8 ½ years and seven years imprisonment imposed [on Hon and Wong, respectively] were manifestly inadequate and increased them to 15 and 12 years.

Labubu's soft power, Trump eyes autumn China trip: 7 US-China relations reads
Labubu's soft power, Trump eyes autumn China trip: 7 US-China relations reads

South China Morning Post

time6 hours ago

  • South China Morning Post

Labubu's soft power, Trump eyes autumn China trip: 7 US-China relations reads

We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering US-China relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing 1. Trump eyes autumn China trip, but September visit off the table: sources Photo: AFP US President Donald Trump is keen to visit China but a September visit is not happening, according to sources, who said Beijing and Washington were working to secure a trip in October or November. Hurdles remain, but high-level officials 'share a consensus', sources familiar with the matter told the South China Morning Post. Read the full story here 2. Trump says Beijing making 'big steps' in controlling fentanyl Photo: AP US President Donald Trump said in July that Beijing is 'making big steps' in efforts to control the flow of fentanyl, an issue that the American leader has used to justify tariffs that he has slapped on imports from China. 'I think China has been helping out,' Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. Read the full story here 3. Has Apple been trapped by China? Not so fast, analysts say Photo: Shutterstock A new book contending that Apple went too far in consolidating its operations in China is prompting debate among analysts of the country – some of whom say the company may have had no realistic alternatives. 'If they were to have it to do over again, would they have done anything differently?' asked Meg Rithmire, a Harvard Business School professor.

Those enabling genocide rub it in by attending Nagasaki memorial
Those enabling genocide rub it in by attending Nagasaki memorial

South China Morning Post

time8 hours ago

  • South China Morning Post

Those enabling genocide rub it in by attending Nagasaki memorial

The mayor of Nagasaki has great moral fibre, he is also a clever man. Shiro Suzuki showed courage last year by disinviting Israel to the annual peace ceremony commemorating the 1945 atomic bombing of the city – for obvious reasons. Advertisement Suzuki also disinvited Russia and Belarus last year and the previous two. He recognises atrocities, war crimes and crimes against humanity wherever he sees them, unlike the highly selective vision of most Western leaders. That brave act last year earned him the animus of the ambassadors of the Group of Seven (G7) – or rather the G6 – and the European Union, so they boycotted the event in solidarity with Israel. Instead, they sent low-level functionaries in their places. Western leaders then applied intense pressure on Tokyo to make sure Israel is invited to this year's 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of the city on August 9. So Suzuki personally invited Israel and everyone else, including Russia and Belarus. Between Israel and Russia, one has as much moral authority as the other. Advertisement All this comes as US politicians have been busy helping Israel to unleash the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, which frankly defeats the spirit of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Washington is going ahead with a US$675 million arms deal with Israel. This week, US Republican senator Lindsey Graham said on NBC's Meet the Press that Israel should destroy Gaza like Allied forces did with German and Japanese cities towards the end of the second world war.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store