Seoul, Feb 05, 2025, IANS

Seoul, Feb 5 (IANS) A South Korean special parliamentary committee investigating President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law bid failed on Wednesday to hold an on-site hearing at a detention centre against former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun as he refused its request to attend. Kim, now arrested and indicted for charges of insurrection related to Yoon's December 3 brief martial law bid, did not appear for a parliamentary hearing at the Seoul Dongbu Detention Centre in eastern Seoul, according to Rep. Han Byung-do, who represents the main opposition Democratic Party at the committee. "To ease concerns about the on-site investigation, we even agreed to hold the hearing privately and limit the number of attendees to five," Han told reporters. Kim is said to have refused to appear for the hearing, citing the need to prepare for his trial and meet with his legal team. The ruling People Power Party boycotted the on-site investigation in protest of Yoon being selected as a witness, Yonhap news agency reported. Members of the committee also visited the Seoul Detention Centre in Uiwang, south of the capital, later in the day to hold a similar hearing against Yoon. The outcome of their visits is not immediately known. They will also visit a detention centre of the Capital Defense Command to meet with Yeo In-hyung, former head of the Defence Counterintelligence Command. Yeo allegedly received orders from Kim to arrest and detain opposition leader Lee Jae-myung and then ruling party leader Han Dong-hoon, among others, during the martial law imposition. Earlier on January 4, Yoon Suk Yeol said that nothing had actually happened regarding his martial law decree, denying allegations that he had ordered military commanders to drag lawmakers out of parliament in an attempt to prevent them from blocking its imposition. Yoon made the claim while attending the fifth formal hearing of his impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Seoul. The National Assembly had voted to impeach Yoon over his shocking, albeit short-lived, imposition of martial law on December 3. Yoon had been indicted on charges of leading an insurrection and had been under arrest. Yoon is also alleged to have sent military troops to the National Assembly to prevent lawmakers from voting down the martial law declaration and to have planned to arrest key political figures.