South Korean investigators have arrested South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol over accusations of insurrection for briefly imposing martial law in a move swiftly overturned by the country’s National Assembly.
“The Joint Investigation Headquarters executed an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk-yeol today [January 15] at 10:33 am [01:30 GMT],” the authorities said in a statement on Wednesday, making Yoon the first South Korean president to be arrested while still in office.
His arrest, the first ever for an incumbent president, is the latest head-spinning development for one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies even though the country has a history of prosecuting and imprisoning former leaders.
A defiant Yoon said he submitted himself for questioning to avoid any violence after more than 3,000 police officers marched on his residence to arrest him from the early hours on Wednesday.
“When I saw them break into the security area using firefighting equipment today, I decided to respond to the CIO’s investigation — despite it being illegal — to prevent unsavory bloodshed,” Yoon said.
Yoon was seen arriving in his motorcade at the offices of the anti-corruption agency heading the probe on Wednesday morning.
Authorities now have 48 hours to question Yoon, after which they must seek a warrant to detain him for up to 20 days or release him.
Yoon’s lawyers have argued attempts to detain Yoon are illegal and are designed to humiliate him publicly.
Yoon’s declaration of martial law stunned South Koreans, rattled Asia’s fourth-largest economy, and ushered in an unprecedented period of political turmoil. Lawmakers voted to impeach him and remove him from duties on December 14.
Separately, the Constitutional Court is deliberating whether to uphold that impeachment and permanently remove him from office or restore his presidential powers.
