Seoul:
South Korean authorities on Wednesday arrested and deposed President Yoon Suk Yeol on insurrection charges related to his brief declaration of martial law on December 3, investigators said. He is the first sitting president in South Korea’s history to be arrested.
According to reports, the suspended president was seen leaving his heavily fortified residence in central Seoul in a convoy to the offices of the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) after a joint team of investigators and police said they had executed the arrest warrant.
Mr. Yoon had been holed up in his hilltop home for weeks, behind a small army of personal security to avoid arrest. His lawyers have argued that attempts to detain the ousted Presidnet were illegal and intended to publicly humiliate him.
On Wednesday morning, his lawyer announced that the president had agreed to speak with investigators and that he had decided to leave the residence to avoid a “serious incident.”
“President Yoon has decided to personally appear at the Corruption Investigation Office today,” Seok Dong-hyeon said on Facebook, adding that Yoon would also give a speech.
More than 3,000 police and anti-corruption investigators gathered at his home before dawn, pushing through crowds of Yoon supporters and members of his ruling People Power Party who were protesting attempts to detain him.
Shortly afterwards, investigators announced that Mr. Yoon had been arrested. “The Joint Investigation Headquarters issued an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol today (January 15) at 10:33 am (01:30 GMT),” they said in a statement.
Following his arrest, Yoon can be held for up to 48 hours under the existing arrest warrant. Investigators would have to apply for a new arrest warrant to keep him in custody.
It was their second attempt to arrest Yoon.
An initial attempt on January 3 failed after a tense, hours-long standoff with members of Yoon’s official Presidential Security Service (PSS), who refused to yield when investigators tried to carry out their orders.
Yoon’s declaration of martial law last month stunned South Koreans and plunged one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies into an unprecedented period of political unrest. Lawmakers voted to impeach him and remove him from office on December 14.
In addition, the Constitutional Court is deliberating on whether this impeachment should be upheld and whether he should be permanently removed from office. Yoon’s impeachment trial began Tuesday with a brief hearing after he refused to attend.
Although his non-attendance – which his team blames on alleged security concerns – forced a procedural suspension, the hearings will continue without Yoon, with the next date on Thursday.