In South Korea, President Yoon Suk Yeol has been detained for the second time.

In South Korea, the former president Yoon Suk-yeol, who was suspended following a controversial imposition of martial law, has been detained and arrested. Law enforcement officials apprehended him on the second attempt – earlier, the politician had barricaded himself in his own residence, reported on Wednesday, January 15, by the South Korean news agency Yonhap.

Investigators made a second attempt to arrest Yoon Suk-yeol on Wednesday morning. The politician remained in his residence and refused to exit when requested by law enforcement.

Ultimately, the arrest warrant for the president of South Korea was executed – Yoon Suk-yeol left his residence in Seoul in a convoy of cars and headed to the office of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO). The politician is to be interrogated, and his arrest will be confirmed within 48 hours.

The arrest of Yoon Suk-yeol, who has been impeached and is suspected of treason, marks the first arrest of a sitting president in South Korea. After the interrogation, it is expected that he will be held at the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, near the CIO office.

In a video statement recorded after his arrest, Yoon Suk-yeol stated that he had "decided to comply" with the interrogation in order to "prevent horrific bloodshed." The president of South Korea does not admit to any wrongdoing.

Impeachment and Suspicions Against the President of South Korea – What Preceded

On the night of December 3-4, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol imposed a state of emergency military rule through his decree because the Democratic Party, which holds the majority in the South Korean parliament, rejected the government’s budget proposal and also announced the impeachment of the state auditor and the country’s chief prosecutor. Following the declaration of martial law, any political activity, including protests, was prohibited in the country.

However, some lawmakers managed to break into the parliament building despite the military encirclement and annul the decision to impose martial law – the political system of South Korea allows presidential decrees to be overturned in parliament. The martial law lasted about six hours, and after its conclusion, the Democratic Party submitted a bill for the impeachment of Yoon Suk-yeol.

On December 4, the president of South Korea apologized for the imposition of martial law. The defense minister also issued an apology and subsequently resigned. On December 7, lawmakers in the South Korean parliament voted for the impeachment procedure for the first time – however, due to the absence of ruling party members, they could not gather enough votes. On December 11, the South Korean parliament voted for the impeachment of Yoon Suk-yeol on the second attempt.

On December 8, prosecutors announced suspicions of treason and abuse of power against the president of South Korea and the former defense minister Kim Yong-hoon, who had attempted suicide while already in custody. On December 9, the president was prohibited from leaving the country, and an arrest warrant was issued against him for ignoring all three summons to appear for questioning in the investigation into treason. The president could face life imprisonment or the death penalty.

On January 8, South Korean law enforcement attempted to detain Yoon Suk-yeol, but he barricaded himself in his residence – barbed wire was set up around his house, and access was blocked by vehicles.