Wednesday | January 15, 2025
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been arrested for questioning, according to the country’s anti corruption agency, in the latest chapter of a weekslong political saga that began with the embattled president’s shock martial law decree last month.
Yoon was detained for interrogation Wednesday morning and departed his secured residence with investigators in a convoy – marking the first instance of such an action against an incumbent president in South Korea.
Yoon is sought for questioning in several criminal inquiries related to his controversial proclamation, including allegations of orchestrating an insurrection – an offense punishable by life imprisonment or even capital punishment.
As of Wednesday evening, Yoon had declined to respond to investigators’ questions or make any statements and refused to allow the sessions to be documented, an official from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO) informed reporters.
Yoon is anticipated to be transferred from the CIO headquarters to a nearby detention facility, where he will be held overnight in isolation “for security reasons,” according to the facility’s statement to CNN.
The beleaguered president had been barricaded in his fortified residence for weeks under the protection of his Presidential Security Service team, evading detention as he faced multiple investigations and an impeachment trial.
The Corruption Investigation Office (CIO), collaborating with law enforcement and the defense ministry in its probe of Yoon, initially attempted to apprehend him earlier this month. However, the effort failed after a protracted standoff in which military personnel and members of the presidential security team prevented approximately 80 police officers and investigators from accessing the presidential compound.
After his detention on Wednesday, Yoon issued a video statement denouncing the investigations as “unlawful” and claimed that “the rule of law in this country has entirely disintegrated.” He stated that he cooperated with investigators to avoid violent confrontations.
“As a president obligated to safeguard the constitution and legal framework of the Republic of Korea, complying with these unlawful and invalid procedures does not equate to their acknowledgment but is done in hopes of preventing unnecessary bloodshed,” he said.
The warrant permits investigators to detain Yoon for up to 48 hours from the time of his arrest, until approximately 10 a.m. local time on Friday. The CIO must seek an arrest warrant within that window to extend his detention further.
Groups of Yoon’s supporters and detractors were both present at the scene on Wednesday, with footage from Reuters and CNN affiliate YTN depicting protesters arriving in buses and assembling in the streets near Yoon’s compound, despite freezing temperatures.
Some protesters were heard chanting “step down,” “your time is over,” and “accept responsibility,” while supporters of the embattled president shouted “invalid impeachment,” “long live the Republic of Korea!” and “victory is ours!”
Many of the president’s backers – who view him as a staunchly conservative figure and a firm ally of the United States, known for his hardline stance on China and North Korea – carried signs emblazoned with “Stop the steal” in English. Others waved American flags.
A YTN video captured a prominent sign displayed on the rear of one bus, which read “Department of Insurrection – Yoon Suk Yeol” in Korean – a slogan frequently used during anti-Yoon demonstrations since the president enacted his martial law decree last month.
A court authorized a warrant to detain the president earlier this month after Yoon, a former prosecutor, failed to respond to three investigative summonses issued in recent weeks seeking his cooperation, according to the CIO.
Martial law declaration
Yoon announced martial law in an unexpected late-night speech on December 3, asserting that opposition lawmakers had “crippled state functions” and that the decision was essential to “protect a liberal South Korea” from the dangers posed by “anti-state forces.”
Members of the National Assembly, including some from Yoon’s own party, voted to overturn the declaration roughly six hours later. Yoon’s order sparked intense public outcry and condemnation from lawmakers across the political spectrum, rekindling painful memories of the nation’s authoritarian history.
Yoon’s legal representatives have maintained that the detention warrant is “unlawful and invalid” and have pledged to pursue legal action against its enforcement. Supporters of the suspended president have similarly argued that the measures taken against him violate South Korean law.
Yoon has remained resolute amid the ongoing investigations and an impeachment trial being conducted by one of the nation’s highest courts.
The ex-prosecutor-turned-politician was stripped of his presidential authority last month after parliament voted to impeach him over the martial law decree. The Constitutional Court now holds the ultimate authority to decide whether he will be formally removed from office or reinstated.