South Korea’s impeached president Yoon Suk-yeol was arrested on January 15 over accusations of insurrection for attempting to impose martial law last month.
Authorities confirmed the arrest in a statement, stating that the Joint Investigation Headquarters executed an arrest warrant for Yoon at 10:33 AM local time (01:30 GMT).
The arrest follows a dramatic standoff at the former president’s residence, where investigators, initially blocked by the Presidential Security Service, had to resort to ladders to scale the walls of the compound to detain him.
Yoon, in a prerecorded video message released after his arrest, claimed that he had made the decision to submit to questioning in a bid to prevent “bloodshed.” Despite acknowledging his disagreement with the legality of the investigation, he stated that he complied to avert any “unfortunate bloodshed.”
Outside Yoon’s residence, thousands of supporters gathered, while several lawmakers from his conservative People Power Party and his legal team attempted to prevent the arrest.
Police escorted Yoon in his motorcade to the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials in Gwacheon, south of Seoul, where he will face questioning.
