SEOUL - South Korea's former defense minister Kim Yong-hyun has been arrested and his mobile phone has been confiscated, the country's Yonhap news agency reported Sunday morning.

Kim reportedly proposed the idea of declaring an emergency martial law to President Yoon Suk-yeol. Yoon imposed martial law Tuesday night but repealed it early Wednesday as the parliament voted against it.

The former defense minister said Wednesday that he had tendered his resignation to the president to take all responsibilities for the emergency martial law, apologizing to people for causing concerns and confusion.

Yoon accepted Kim's resignation, and named Choi Byung-hyuk, ambassador to Saudi Arabia, to head the defense ministry as Kim's successor, the presidential office said Thursday.