South Korea Arrests Impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol on Insurrection Charges
In a historic move, South Korean authorities arrested impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol on Wednesday, January 15, on charges of insurrection stemming from his brief and ultimately unsuccessful imposition of martial law last December, Al Jazeera reports.
The arrest marks the first time a sitting South Korean president has been apprehended while still in office.
The Joint Investigation Headquarters confirmed the arrest took place at 10:33 am local time (01:30 GMT). According to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, the deputy chief of the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO), Lee Jae-seung, led the questioning of Yoon at an interrogation room with his legal team present. The CIO announced that Yoon would be held at Seoul Detention Centre in Uiwang following the initial interrogation.
Yoon, in a prerecorded video message released after his arrest, stated that he had submitted to questioning to avoid “bloodshed,” although he did not accept the legality of the investigation.
The arrest was the culmination of a dramatic day that included authorities using ladders to access Yoon’s residential compound after being initially blocked by the Presidential Security Service. Thousands of people, including protestors and supporters, had gathered outside Yoon’s home. Lawmakers from the governing People Power Party and Yoon’s lawyers also attempted to block the arrest.
Authorities now have 48 hours to question Yoon before they must either seek a warrant for his detention for up to 20 days, or release him. The CIO reported that Yoon exercised his right to remain silent and withheld permission for the interview to be filmed. They also confirmed that they had a 200-page questionnaire prepared for the former president but had no information on why he chose not to speak.
The arrest came after Yoon failed to appear at the opening of his impeachment trial on Tuesday, prompting the Constitutional Court to adjourn the proceedings. This development has raised hopes that his arrest will compel him to attend the next hearing.
The situation had been escalating for weeks, since a previous failed attempt to arrest Yoon early in January, following his impeachment by the National Assembly on December 14. The impeachment was triggered by his surprise declaration of martial law on December 3, which he claimed was necessary to counter threats from North Korea and “anti-state elements.” The move was ultimately overturned after just six hours, when the National Assembly voted against it, but has plunged South Korea into an unprecedented period of political turmoil.
Yoon, who rose to prominence as the chief prosecutor in the corruption case of former President Park Geun-hye, took office in May 2022. His popularity has since plummeted, culminating in this historic arrest.
