Former South Korean Minister of National Defense Kim Yong Hyun is reported to have attempted to take his own life while detained at the Seoul Dongbu Detention Center.

On December 10, 2024 (KST), Kim was arrested for playing a leading role in President Yoon Suk Yeol‘s martial law declaration on December 3. On December 4, Kim tendered his resignation to President Yoon, stating he would “take responsibility for all matters related to the emergency martial law declaration.”

Then, on December 11, National Assembly member Choo Mi Ae shared via her Facebook that Kim had attempted suicide and survived. Shin Yong Hae, the Director of the Correctional Bureau of the Ministry of Justice, appeared at the National Assembly’s Legislative and Judiciary Committee and confirmed that “such an incident occurred.”

At around 11:05 PM on December 10, a guard on duty in the control room discovered that the former minister was attempting suicide in the restroom. The staff responded immediately, and when they arrived and opened the door, he abandoned the attempt. Currently, he is being held in a protective cell, and I have been informed that his health is fine.

— Shin Yong Hae