Who Is Kim Yong-hyun, Former South Korean Defense Minister Who Tried Suicide In Detention?

Kim Yong-hyun, former South Korean defense minister/PHOTO via Wikimedia Commons

JAKARTA - Kim Yong-hyun, former defense minister and close confidant of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, became the first official arrested on Yoon's military emergency declaration.

Kim attempted suicide while in detention, officials said on Wednesday, December 11.

WHO IS KIM YONG-HYUN?

Diulas Reuters, Kim was born in 1959 in the southeastern coastal city of Masan. He joined the Korean Military Academy, which educated and trained army cadets in 1978.

Kim took various important roles including the defense commander of the capital and chief of operations at the Joint Chiefs of Staff before retiring in 2017 as a three-star general.

Under the leadership of South Korean President Yoon, Kim served as the first minister of presidential security services until he was appointed defense minister last September.

Kim has shown a hardline view of North Korea and general security concerns.

In his first speech as head of defense, he warned North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would pay a "very expensive price" and would eventually end if the regime made a provocation.

WHAT'S THE RELATIONSHIP WITH YOON?

When South Korean President Yoon nominated Kim for defense minister last August, his chief of staff described Kim as a person who "understands the intentions of the supreme commander better than anyone".

Kim attended Chungam Middle School in Seoul, also attended by Yoon, who had helped them build good relations and eventually laid the groundwork for what opposition lawmakers called the Chungam faction Yoon's closest circle of trust which also includes interior minister Lee Sang who has now stepped down and is counter-intelligence of defense Yeo In-hyeong.

Kim, along with Lee, has been the longest official since Yoon took office in May 2022.

WHAT ROLE DID HE PLAY?

Reuters reported that at an unplanned cabinet meeting held by Yoon minutes before the declaration on December 3, Kim recommended the imposition of a military emergency, Lee and other officials told parliament.

Military Special War Commander Kwak Jong-geun also testified that Kim on December 1 ordered deployment of troops to 'compete' six parliamentary locations, the Democratic main opposition headquarters, three offices of the National General Elections Commission and polling companies run by left-wing YouTubers.

Kim's actions are the opposite of his rejection of opposition accusations in September that Chungam's brotherhood had planned a military emergency. Kim at that time called it a "false political propaganda".