The impeached South Korean president has been detained for weeks after the chaos of martial law
South Korean police detained impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, taking him in for questioning after his short-lived declaration of martial law last month. Yoon reportedly said he cooperated with the anti-corruption probe to avoid violence.
“Even though it is an illegal investigation, I have decided to agree to appear before the CIO to prevent ugly bloodshed,” Yonhap, one of the country’s major news outlets, quoted Yoon as saying. Yoon was reportedly referring to the Corruption Perceptions Office (CIO).
Police deployed about 3,000 people to Yoon’s compound, which was surrounded by protesters opposing and supporting the militant leader, according to Yonhap. After Yoon’s detention, authorities have 48 hours to request a warrant for his formal arrest, according to Yonhap.
Police officers and investigators from the Bureau of Corruption Investigation for Senior Officials walk through the entrance to the official residence of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, as authorities seek to execute an arrest warrant, in Seoul, South Korea, January. 15, 2025 (REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji)
Yoon is referred to in the search warrant as the “ringleader of the rebellion,” Reuters reported.
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“As I have repeatedly emphasized the need to prevent physical conflict between state agencies,” Acting President Choi Sang-mok said in a statement on Wednesday. “I will be held strictly accountable if unfortunate events occur.”
A previous attempt to detain Yoon was aborted on January 3, ending in a six-hour standoff between military guards and the president’s security personnel. After the incident, the CIO expressed “serious regret for the attitude of the suspect, who did not respond to the process according to law.” After the failed arrest, Yoon remained at his compound surrounded by his security team.
Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arrives at the compound housing the Office of Corruption Investigation for Senior Officials in Gwacheon on January 15, 2025. Yoon was arrested on January 15 for a failed attempt to impose martial law, after hundreds of anti- Bribery investigators and police raided went to his residence to end the week-long standoff. (STR/KOREA POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
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Enforcing a warrant for Yoon’s arrest has proven difficult for investigators, as the president’s legal adviser insists it is impossible to do so under a law that prohibits warrantless searches of locations potentially linked to military secrets.
After he did not arrive for the interrogation of Fr the law of war fiascoa warrant for Yoon’s arrest was issued on December 31.
Protesters march to the presidential office after a candlelight vigil against South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
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On December 3, Yoon declared martial law promising to get rid of “anti-state” forces. Yoon also accused the country’s parliament of sympathizing with North Korea. The Speaker of Parliament and the leader of Yoon’s own party opposed the declaration. Yoon was suspended on December 14 by a 204-85 vote.
Yoon’s lawyers argue that the investigation was not lawful and have classified the warrants as part of an attempt to publicly humiliate the militant leader.
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