SEOUL -- South Korean ex-defense minister Kim Yong-hyun attempted to take his own life while being held at a detention facility on charges of insurrection, and he was currently in stable condition, the Justice Ministry said Wednesday.

Kim was found trying to hang himself with a rope made from tying together innerwear inside a bathroom at the Seoul Dongbu Detention Center in eastern Seoul at 11:52 pm local time Tuesday, shortly before a court issued an arrest warrant for him, the ministry said.

Following the unsuccessful attempt, Kim was being held in a protective cell and his health remained stable, according to Shin Yong-hae, head of the correctional center.

Kim, who had already been detained since Sunday, was formally arrested early Wednesday on charges of helping President Yoon Suk-yeol stage an insurrection during a six-hour imposition of martial law between Tuesday and Wednesday last week.