1 of 9 | A Yoon supporter looks at a “Stop the Steal” sign ahead of the impeached president’s arrest Wednesday. Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI
SEOUL, Jan. 14 (UPI) — Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was detained by police at his residence Wednesday morning for questioning over his short-lived martial law attempt, as anti-corruption officials successfully executed an arrest warrant on their second attempt.
Yoon was taken into custody at 10:33 a.m., the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials announced, marking the first time in South Korean history a sitting president has been arrested.
A presidential motorcade left the residence in the expensive Hannam-dong neighborhood of Seoul shortly after the impeached president agreed to leave without incident. Local broadcast media followed their journey to the CIO office in the satellite city of Gwacheon, where Yoon was filmed exiting a vehicle without handcuffs.
Authorities now have 48 hours to question Yoon as they investigate charges of insurrection and abuse of power. Afterward, they must seek a warrant to detain him for up to 20 days or release him.
In a pre-recorded video address, a defiant Yoon said that he complied with the “illegal” arrest to avoid a violent showdown after more than 3,000 police officers arrived before dawn on Wednesday morning to detain him.
“Unfortunately, the law has completely collapsed in the country,” Yoon said in the brief video, repeating the claims of his legal team and supporters that the warrant is invalid. His lawyers say that the warrant was issued by a court in the wrong jurisdiction and argue the CIO does not have the legal authority to arrest a sitting president.
During a first arrest attempt to execute the warrant earlier this month, police withdrew after a tense hours-long standoff with the presidential security detail. This time, police and investigators cut through barbed wire and used ladders to climb over buses set up as barricades to gain entry to the compound.
“Today, after seeing these people infiltrate the security zone using firefighting equipment, I decided to appear at the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, even though it is an illegal investigation, in order to prevent ugly bloodshed,” Yoon said in the video.
Rep. Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the opposition Democratic Party, called the arrest “the first step toward restoring constitutional order, democracy and the rule of law.”
“Yoon Suk Yeol … not only declared martial law in violation of the Constitution and the law but also obstructed enforcement of the law with force, making the Republic of Korea a lawless land,” Park said at a party meeting after the arrest.
The 64-year-old president had been holed up in his residence since the arrest warrant was issued at the end of December. Supporters have held a constant vigil nearby and were out in large numbers on a frigid Wednesday morning, attempting to block intersections leading to the compound and shouting at police.
Yoon claimed that he declared martial law on Dec. 3 to protect the public from the “pro-North Korea anti-state forces” in the Democratic Party that have obstructed his agenda and paralyzed the government.
He has frequently repeated unsubstantiated election fraud claims and said in a speech defending the shocking decree that there was evidence of North Korean hacking and Chinese espionage.
Supporters have echoed his claims and found common cause with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s MAGA movement, with many carrying “Stop the Steal” signs and some even wearing “Make Korea Great Again” hats Wednesday.
“Yoon and Trump share the same agenda,” protester Sera Kang said. “Election fraud, anti-China, anti-drugs. Trump will support Yoon when he takes office — that’s why [officials] wanted to arrest Yoon right away.”
South Korea’s Constitutional Court has 180 days to decide whether to uphold or reject the Dec. 14 impeachment. The trial’s first hearing was held on Tuesday but lasted only four minutes due to Yoon’s absence. The next session, scheduled for Thursday at 2 p.m., will proceed with or without Yoon present, acting court President Moon Hyung-bae said.