South Korean authorities have arrested impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over insurrection accusations related to his 3 December martial law declaration, investigators said.
Since politicians voted to stand him down after his short-lived declaration of martial law on 3 December, Mr Yoon has been holed up at his hillside residence, guarded by a small army of personal security that blocked a previous arrest attempt.
His arrest, the first ever for an incumbent president, is the latest development for one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies even though the country has a history of prosecuting and imprisoning former leaders.
A defiant Mr Yoon said he submitted himself for questioning to avoid any violence after more than 3,000 police officers marched on his residence to arrest him from the early hours.
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Mr Yoon’s motorcade was later seen leaving his residence.
It arrived at the investigators’ office but was quickly surrounded by security and moved to the back of the building, where Mr Yoon entered, evading the waiting media.
Authorities now have 48 hours to question Mr Yoon, after which they must seek a warrant to detain him for up to 20 days or release him.
Police said they had deployed 3,200 officers to Mr Yoon’s residence to execute the arrest, where hundreds of pro-Yoon protesters and members of his People Power Party had also gathered before dawn in sub-zero temperatures.
A police spokesperson denied an earlier report by Yonhap News Agency that it had arrested the acting head of Mr Yoon’s presidential security service, which blocked a previous attempt to arrest the conservative leader on 3 January
The impeached leader’s lawyers have argued attempts to detain Mr Yoon are illegal and are designed to publicly humiliate him.
As local news broadcasters reported that Mr Yoon’s detention may come soon, some minor scuffles broke out between pro-Yoon protesters and police near the residence, according to Reuters witnesses at the scene.
Mr Yoon’s declaration of martial law stunned South Koreans and plunged one of the country into an unprecedented period of political turmoil.
Politicians voted to impeach him and remove him from duties on 14 December.
Separately, the Constitutional Court is deliberating over whether to uphold that impeachment and permanently remove him from office.
Some of Mr Yoon’s supporters have drawn parallels with his plight and that of US president-elect Donald Trump, who also claimed voter fraud contributed to his election defeat in 2020 but recovered to make a stunning political comeback.
“It is very sad to see our country falling apart,” said Kim Woo-sub, a 70-year-old retiree protesting Mr Yoon’s arrest outside his residence.
“I still have high expectations for Mr Trump to support our president. Election fraud is something they have in common but also the US needs South Korea to fight China,” he said.
