President Yoon Seok-yeol became South Korea’s sitting leader detained for questioning by criminal investigators on Wednesday, ending a weeks-long standoff over his declaration of martial law that plunged the country into a political crisis.
Mr. Yoon’s guards successfully prevented investigators from detaining Mr. Yoon on January 3, in their first attempt to execute a court-issued arrest warrant. Since then, concerns have gripped the country that violent conflict could break out if both sides do not back down.
But when investigators returned Wednesday morning with even more officers, some of them carrying ladders to climb defensive barricades, Mr. Yoon’s bodyguards offered no resistance. Mr. Yoon then agreed to go with a large group of law enforcement officers. He was not handcuffed and was able to travel to the investigative headquarters in the presidential vehicle, not a police car.
In a video message released shortly after, Yoon said he agreed to be questioned to prevent a “bloody clash” between bodyguards and police. But he claimed the investigation and warrant to detain him were illegal.
Mr. Yoon is being interrogated by officials of the High-ranking Public Official Corruption Investigation Office, which is investigating whether he committed an act of rebellion when martial law was declared on December 3. A separate court warrant to formally arrest him.
Last month, Mr. Yoon’s martial law plan was quickly rejected by the National Assembly, and the opposition party has since accused him of committing a civil war by taking over the National Assembly and sending armed troops to the National Assembly to detain political enemies. He was the first South Korean leader to place his country under military rule since the country began democratizing in the late 1980s.
The Constitutional Court of Korea is deliberating whether the National Assembly’s vote to impeach President Yoon on December 14 was justified and whether he should be officially dismissed.
Police buses began arriving early Wednesday at the top of the Blue House hill, where Mr. Yoon had been hiding since his impeachment. Investigators carefully planned the operation and raised their ranks to avoid a repeat of the standoff situation on January 3, when they were outnumbered by the President’s bodyguards and had to overcome an embarrassing retreat after a five-and-a-half-hour standoff. hour.
Since then, his guards have further fortified the building by deploying more buses and barbed wire to block doors and walls. Mr. Yoon pledged to “fight to the end” to return to public office and said he would not submit to a court warrant that he believes is illegal.
On Wednesday morning, Mr Yoon and his supporters appeared prepared to resist new efforts to detain him, with Mr Yoon’s lawyers, party lawmakers and Secret Service officials standing outside the security compound. Live footage of the street leading to his home in the morning showed a tense standoff in sub-zero temperatures, with some shoving and physical struggles at one point.
Dozens of investigators and police officers gathered at the front gate of Yoon’s home climbed over the bus barricade blocking the road, carrying ladders. They arrived at the entrance of Mr. Yoon’s home and met with the president’s bodyguards and lawyers.
Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, South Korea’s acting president, warned government agencies involved in the standoff not to use violence.
“All citizens and the international community are watching this,” he said in a statement. “We cannot tolerate physical violence for any purpose. “Because this would irreparably damage public trust and our international reputation.”
Attorney Seok Dong-hyun, who acted as Yoon’s spokesperson, said that once the investigators withdraw, the president will personally appear and question them. However, investigators decided to issue a warrant and arrested him around 10:33 a.m.
Mr. Yoon left his home in a motorcade heading to the CIO headquarters in Gwacheon, south of Seoul. From there, he was taken to a third-floor room where he was expected to undergo a marathon interrogation.
The effort to arrest Yun and force him to answer on treason charges marks the first time in South Korea’s history that authorities have attempted to detain a sitting president. The unfolding events captivated the nation, with news and social media channels reporting them in live streams.
A day earlier, the Constitutional Court began a hearing on whether to dismiss Mr. Yoon for failing to attend the trial. His lawyers said they feared investigators would detain him if he left the presidential residence. The court is scheduled to reconvene on Thursday.
