Yoon Suk Yeol has made history as South Korea’s first sitting president to face arrest, following a dramatic operation where investigators scaled barriers and cut through barbed wire to detain him.
The 64-year-old president is under investigation for insurrection related to his failed martial law order on December 3, which caused significant unrest in South Korea. Along with this, Yoon has been impeached by parliament, though his removal from office will depend on the Constitutional Court’s ruling on his impeachment.
Yoon’s arrest, which occurred on Wednesday, marked the end of a tense standoff between his security team and investigators. On January 3, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) had attempted to arrest Yoon but was thwarted after a six-hour confrontation with his security detail.
Before dawn on Wednesday, a team of around 1,000 investigators, armed with ladders to climb over buses blocking the entrance and bolt croppers to cut barbed wire, arrived at Yoon’s residence in central Seoul. Other investigators scaled walls and trekked nearby trails to reach the presidential residence. After several hours, authorities confirmed the president’s arrest.
In a video released just before his arrest, Yoon stated that he would cooperate with the investigators but reiterated his belief that the arrest warrant was legally invalid. He described how his home’s security was breached, claiming that fire equipment was used to invade his residence’s perimeter.
At the time of his arrest, authorities revealed that Yoon had refused to answer questions during the interrogation.
Yoon’s legal team has condemned the arrest as “illegal,” arguing that the CIO, which focuses on corruption investigations, does not have the jurisdiction to probe the insurrection accusations against him. They also claim the warrant was issued from the wrong jurisdiction. However, officials from South Korea’s supreme court and justice ministry maintain that the arrest was lawful.
The opposition Democratic Party’s floor leader, Park Chan-dae, described the arrest as a sign that “justice in South Korea is alive” and a crucial step toward restoring democracy, constitutional order, and the rule of law.
Currently, South Korea is being led by Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok as acting president, who stepped into power after the first acting president, Han Duck-soo, was also impeached by an opposition-majority parliament.
Yoon is expected to remain detained overnight at the Seoul Detention Centre in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, roughly 5km (3 miles) from the CIO office. If a court does not issue a detention warrant within 48 hours, Yoon will be released and can return to the presidential residence.
Meanwhile, protests continue outside the investigating office, with pro-Yoon supporters voicing their discontent. The anti-Yoon crowd celebrated the arrest with cheers and songs, while his supporters expressed their frustration, claiming that the rule of law had broken down.
Although most South Koreans agree that Yoon should be held accountable for his martial law order, there is a deep division over the nature of that accountability. The ongoing protests highlight the political crisis and the uncertainty that continues to engulf the nation.
