South Korea’s ousted president, Yoon Suk-yul, was detained in a major law enforcement operation at the presidential complex on Wednesday, and he defiantly insisted that the anti-corruption agency had no authority to investigate his actions, but said he was committed to preventing violence.
Yoon, the country’s first president to be arrested, faces the possibility of a long prison sentence due to possible charges of rebellion.
In a video message recorded shortly before he was taken to the anti-corruption agency’s headquarters, Yoon lamented the “complete collapse of the rule of law in this country.”
Yoon had been holed up in Hannam-dong’s residence in the capital, Seoul, for weeks while vowing to “fight to the end” in efforts to oust him. He justified his declaration of martial law on December 3 as a legitimate act of governance against an “anti-state” opposition that was using its legislative majority to thwart his agenda.
The Corruption Investigation Bureau told senior officials that Yoon was detained about five hours after investigators arrived at the presidential complex and about three hours after they successfully entered the residence, in their second attempt to detain him for imposing martial law.
A series of black SUVs, some equipped with sirens, were seen leaving the presidential complex, escorted by police. Yoon was later seen getting out of the car after arriving at the agency’s office in the nearby city of Gwacheon.
Hundreds of Yoon’s conservative supporters gathered near the anti-corruption agency’s office while he was being questioned, chanting slogans and carrying banners that read: “We will fight alongside President Yoon Suk-yeol.”
Also on Wednesday, an unidentified man was in life-threatening condition after apparently setting himself on fire near the site, according to the Gyeonggi Province Fire Department. After interrogation, Yoon was expected to be sent to a detention center in Uywang, near Seoul.
Yoon could remain in detention for weeks, perhaps months or longer.
The anti-corruption agency, which is leading a joint investigation with police and military into whether Yoon’s declaration of martial law amounted to an attempted rebellion, has 48 hours to request a court order to formally arrest him.
If she fails to do so, Yoon will be released. If Yoon is formally arrested, investigators could extend his detention for 20 days before referring the case to prosecutors for indictment.
Park Sung-bae, a lawyer who specializes in cybercrime cases, said that if prosecutors indict Yoon on charges of rebellion and abuse of power, allegations examined by investigators, he would likely remain in detention until the initial court ruling, which is usually issued within six months. Criminal law.
Under South Korean law, the rebel leader could face the death penalty or life imprisonment, if convicted.
“If the first court issues a prison sentence, the detention will simply continue,” Park said. “If they sentence him to life imprisonment, for example, he continues to serve that sentence until the end.”
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Yun’s defense minister, police chief and several senior military commanders have already been detained for their roles in implementing martial law.
The arrest warrant for Yoon, issued by the Seoul Western District Court, said there were substantial grounds to suspect that he committed crimes as a “rebellion leader.”
The anti-corruption agency told reporters that Yoon, during several hours of questioning until Wednesday evening, exercised his right to remain silent.
Yoon’s presidential powers were suspended when Parliament decided to impeach him on December 14. The issue of impeachment now falls to the Constitutional Court, which can formally remove Yoon from office or dismiss the case and return him to office.
In a separate message posted on his Facebook account after his arrest, Yoon said that “martial law is not a crime,” saying his announcement was necessary to raise awareness about the opposition, which exercises “legislative dictatorship by obstructing laws and budgets.” “Shell” the affairs of state. He denied accusations of rebellion, calling his removal a “fraud.”
The scene in the complex
When they began the arrest operation early in the morning, anti-corruption investigators and police officers engaged in an hours-long standoff at the gate of the compound with presidential security forces, but faced little resistance.
Police officers were seen using wire cutters to remove the barbed wire that the Presidential Security Service had placed around the perimeter of the complex to prevent their entry. Some police officers used ladders to climb the rows of buses blocking the entrance to the complex, and then investigators began moving up the mountainous complex. Investigators and police later arrived in front of a metal gate with a gold presidential sign near Yoon’s apartment building. Some officers were seen entering a security door on the side of the metal gate, joined by one of Yoon’s lawyers and chief of staff, before Yoon was dismissed.
Preparations and fears
South Korea’s acting president, Vice Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, issued a statement early Wednesday urging law enforcement and the presidential security service to ensure that “physical clashes” do not occur.
After Yoon’s arrest, Choe met with diplomats from the Group of Seven countries, including the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom and Germany, as well as a European Union representative, to reassure them that the government was operating stably.
Park Chan-dae, leader of the opposition Liberal Democratic Party, who led the legislative campaign to impeach Yoon, said Yoon’s arrest was “the first step toward restoring constitutional order, democracy, and realizing the rule of law.”
Lawmakers from Yoon’s People Power Party condemned the arrest, calling it illegal.
The National Police Agency has been meeting with field commanders in Seoul and nearby Gyeonggi province in recent days to plan their efforts to detain Yoon, and the size of those forces has fueled speculation that more than 1,000 officers could be deployed. The agency and the police explicitly warned of the possibility of detention by the president’s bodyguards who obstruct the implementation of the arrest warrant.
Yoon’s lawyers said the arrest warrant issued by the Seoul Western District Court was invalid. They cited a law that protects sites potentially linked to military secrets from being searched without the consent of the person in charge — which would be Yoon. They also said the anti-corruption body had no legal authority to investigate allegations of mutiny.
“I was truly appalled to see the violations being carried out, the actions being forcefully carried out under an invalid judicial order,” Yoon said in the video.
“I do not acknowledge the investigation conducted by the Corruption Investigation Bureau into senior officials. As President, who is responsible for upholding the Constitution and the legal system of the Republic of Korea, my decision to comply with such illegal and invalid actions is not an acknowledgment of them, but rather a desire to prevent unfortunate and bloody incidents from occurring.
Yoon’s supporters and critics staged competing protests near his residence – one side vowing to protect him, the other calling for his imprisonment – while thousands of police officers in yellow vests kept a close eye on the tense situation.
Some of Yun’s supporters reacted with horror when they saw the procession heading toward Gwacheon. A few of them were removed by police officers after they lay on the road in protest.
Yun declared martial law and deployed troops around the National Assembly on December 3. It lasted only hours before lawmakers were able to get past the blockade and vote to lift the measure. The opposition-led council voted to impeach him on rebellion charges on December 14.
The Constitutional Court held its first formal hearing on the impeachment case on Tuesday, but the hearing lasted less than five minutes because Yoon refused to attend. The next session is scheduled to be held on Thursday.
