South Korean authorities arrested impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday over accusations of insurrection related to his martial law declaration on December 3, according to investigators.
Yoon’s presidential motorcade departed from the hillside residence where he had been staying for weeks, surrounded by barbed wire and a substantial security detail, and later arrived at the offices of the anti-corruption agency leading the investigation.
In a statement, Yoon explained that he chose to submit himself for questioning in order to prevent any violence after over 3,000 police officers arrived at his residence early Wednesday morning to arrest him.
“When I saw them break into the security area using firefighting equipment today, I decided to respond to the CIO’s investigation — despite it being an illegal investigation — to prevent unsavory bloodshed,” Yoon stated.
Yoon’s legal team has argued that the attempts to detain him are unlawful and meant to publicly disgrace him. The arrest warrant issued is the first ever for a sitting South Korean president.
As news outlets reported that Yoon’s detention was imminent, minor confrontations occurred between tearful pro-Yoon protesters and police near his residence, according to a Reuters witness.
Yoon’s martial law declaration on December 3 shocked South Koreans and led to a period of unprecedented political instability in the country. Lawmakers voted to impeach him and remove him from office on December 14.
Meanwhile, the Constitutional Court is still deliberating on whether to uphold the impeachment and permanently remove him from office.
