Inside S. Korea's failed martial law attempt

SEOUL - At his confirmation hearing three months ago, South Korea's Defence Minister Kim Yonghyun rejected accusations from the opposition that he wanted to impose martial law.

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It was, the conservative hardliner said, political propaganda.

However, when tensions between President Yoon Suk Yeol and his political opponents reached a boiling point this week, it was Mr Kim, a long-time confidant of Mr Yoon, who recommended imposing martial law, according to a senior military official and impeachment filings by opposition figures on Dec 4.

Mr Kim proposed the idea because he believed the liberal opposition had pushed Mr Yoon to the edge, said the military source, who denied that planning for martial law had been in the works since before the confirmation hearing.

Mr Yoon's shock move on Dec 3 divided his ministers and his ruling People Power Party (PPP), and unleashed six hours of political chaos in South Korea.

His televised late-night declaration of martial law plunged one of Asia's largest economies into crisis and blemished the reputation of a US ally that transitioned from dictatorship to a democratic success story in the 1980s.

By the time Mr Yoon, 63, rescinded martial law early on Dec 4 following a vote by the opposition-dominated Parliament to reject it, his political fortunes and his grip on the country had imploded spectacularly.

As the day wore on, many of Mr Yoon's allies deserted him and support grew across the political spectrum for his impeachment and removal from office.

He now faces an impeachment vote that the opposition is seeking to push through this week.

This account of the moments leading up to the martial law declaration and its aftermath is based on Reuters interviews with more than a dozen officials, lawmakers and staff.

Some spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue.