South Korea’s Impeached President Detained After Martial Law Uprising “`
Following his brief declaration of martial law last month, impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was taken into custody by law enforcement for questioning. Yoon reportedly stated his cooperation with the anti-corruption investigation was to prevent violence.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Yoon said in a statement, “Despite the illegality of this inquiry, I’ve agreed to appear before the CIO to avoid bloodshed.” He was referring to the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO).
Approximately 3,000 law enforcement officers surrounded Yoon’s residence, which was also encircled by both supporters and opponents of the former president. After detaining Yoon, authorities have a 48-hour window to seek an arrest warrant, Yonhap reported.
The search warrant refers to Yoon as the “ringleader of insurrection”.
Acting President Choi Sang-mok issued a statement on Wednesday, saying, “As I’ve repeatedly stressed the need to prevent clashes between state agencies, I will hold those responsible accountable should unfortunate incidents occur.”
A previous attempt to detain Yoon on January 3rd resulted in a six-hour standoff between military guards and the president’s security detail. Following this incident, the CIO expressed “serious regret regarding the suspect’s uncooperative behavior.” After the failed arrest, Yoon remained at his compound under the protection of his security team.
Obtaining a warrant for Yoon’s arrest has proved challenging for investigators due to the president’s legal team arguing that a law prohibiting non-consensual searches of locations potentially containing military secrets prevents such action.
Following Yoon’s failure to appear for questioning, an arrest warrant was issued on December 31st.
On December 3rd, Yoon declared martial law, pledging to eliminate “anti-state” elements. He also accused the parliament of being sympathetic to North Korea. The parliament’s speaker and a leader within Yoon’s own party opposed this declaration. Yoon was subsequently suspended on December 14th by a 204-85 vote.
Yoon’s legal representatives maintain that the investigation is unlawful and that the warrants are a politically motivated attempt to publicly humiliate him.