Seoul (TDI): South Korean authorities arrested impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday over insurrection allegations, with the embattled leader saying he agreed to comply with what he called an illegal investigation to avoid “bloodshed”.
His arrest, the first ever for an incumbent South Korean president, marks a dramatic turn for one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies, despite the country’s history of prosecuting and imprisoning former leaders.
Since legislators voted to stand him down after his short-lived declaration of martial law on December 3, Yoon has been holed up at his hillside residence, guarded by a small army of personal security that thwarted a previous arrest attempt.
A defiant Yoon said he submitted himself for probe to avoid any violence after more than three thousand police officers marched on his residence to arrest him from the early hours of Wednesday, Reuters reported.
“I chose to respond to the CIO’s probe — despite its illegality — to avoid unnecessary bloodshed,” Yoon said in a statement, referring to the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) that is heading the criminal investigation.
Yoon’s motorcade was later seen leaving his residence in an upscale area known as Seoul’s Beverly Hills.
It arrived at the investigators’ office but was immediately surrounded by security and moved to the back of the building, where Yoon slipped in, evading the waiting media.
Also Read: Arrest of South Korea’s President Yoon Called Off
Authorities now have 48 hours to question Yoon after which they must seek a warrant to detain him for up to twenty days or release him.
Yoon’s Lawyers Challenge Arrest Warrant’s Legality
Yoon’s lawyers have argued the arrest warrant is illegal because it was issued by a court in the wrong jurisdiction and the team set up to probe him had no legal mandate to do so.
Yoon’s declaration of martial law shocked South Koreans, rattled Asia’s 4th largest economy and ushered in an unprecedented period of political turmoil in one of Washington’s major security partners in the region.
Also Read: South Korean Court Issues Arrest Warrant for Yoon
Lawmakers voted to impeach him and suspend his duties shortly after, on December 14.
