suspended South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has reportedly been arrested on charges of rebellion stemming from his ill-fated declaration of martial law last month.
Yoon’s detention was reported on Wednesday by Yonhap, one of the country’s largest news agencies. A warrant for his arrest, initially requested after he failed to appear for questioning, has been in effect since December 31.
According to Reuters, police deployed about 3,200 officers to the president’s sprawling mountain estate in Seoul, where he spent weeks in hiding surrounded by a personal security detail.
The video shows officers closing in on Yoon’s residence. According to Reuterswhere hundreds of his supporters had already gathered to protest on his behalf. Earlier, he was allegedly seen being pushed by a group of them.
South Korea’s impeached president fended off an arrest attempt after an hour-long standoff
A previous attempt to detain Yun was called off on January 3 after a six-hour standoff between military guards and the president’s security staff.
“As I have repeatedly emphasized the need to prevent physical confrontation between state institutions,” Acting President Choi Sang-mok said in a statement on Wednesday. “If anything untoward happens, I will hold those responsible firmly.”
Executing a warrant for Yun’s arrest has proven difficult for investigators, as the president’s legal counsel insists it is impossible to do so under a law barring warrantless searches of locations potentially linked to military secrets.
Yoon’s lawyers have also called such warrants an illegal means of public humiliation.
Arrest warrant issued against South Korean president as political crisis deepens
This is the first arrest warrant issued against a sitting South Korean president. Yun’s warrant stems from his Dec. 3 declaration of martial law in apparent frustration with the opposition-dominated parliament’s refusal to pass key points on his political agenda.
The move was condemned in South Korea and abroad, where analysts expressed shock at the sudden and unprecedented move. One of the most stable democracies in Asia.
Police officers are seen closing in on suspended President Yoon Seok-yul’s residence in Seoul, South Korea, along with investigators from the High-ranking Corruption Investigation Office. (Reuters/Kim Hong-ji)
Parliament unanimously rejected Yun’s announcement, and he was subsequently suspended on 14 December in a 204–85 vote that included members of his own party.
If the Constitutional Court upholds the motion with a three-quarters majority, Yun will be formally impeached.
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The next court hearing will be held on Thursday.
Reuters contributed to this report.