South Korea impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeolwas arrested Wednesday in a major law enforcement operation at the presidential compound, defiantly insisting that the anti-corruption agency had no authority to investigate his actions, but saying that he had complied to prevent violence.
Yoon, the country’s first sitting president to be apprehended, now faces a lengthy prison sentence on potential rebellion charges.
In a video message recorded shortly before being escorted to the anti-graft agency’s headquarters, Yoon lamented that “the rule of law has completely collapsed in this country.”
Yoon had been holed up in the Hannam-dong residence in the capital, Seoul, for weeks while vowing to “fight to the end” against 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 using its legislative majority to thwart his agenda.
The Senior Officials Corruption Investigation Bureau said Yoon was taken into custody about five hours after investigators arrived at the presidential compound and about three hours after they successfully entered the residence, as part of their second attempt to arrest him due to the imposition of martial law.
A series of black SUVs, some equipped with sirens, were seen leaving the presidential compound under police escort. Yoon was later seen getting out of a vehicle 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 office as he was questioned, shouting slogans and holding signs reading: “We will fight alongside President Yoon Suk Yeol.”
Also Wednesday, an unidentified man was in life-threatening condition after an apparent self-immolation near the site, according to Gyeonggi Province firefighters. After interrogation, Yoon was to be sent to a detention center in Uiwang, near Seoul.
Yoon could be detained for weeks, months or longer.
The anti-graft agency, which is conducting a joint investigation with the police and military to determine whether Yoon’s declaration of martial law amounted to an attempted rebellion, has 48 hours to seek a court order for his formal arrest .
If he fails, Yoon will be released. If Yoon is formally arrested, investigators may extend his detention for up to 20 days before transferring the case to prosecutors for charging.
If prosecutors charge Yoon with rebellion and abuse of power, which are the allegations investigators are looking into, he could remain under arrest until the court’s initial ruling, which is usually issued within six months, Park said Sung-bae, a lawyer specializing in criminal cases. criminal law.
Under South Korean law, the leader of a rebellion can face the death penalty or life in prison if convicted.
“If the first court imposes a prison sentence, the detention simply continues,” Park said. “If they sentence him to life in prison, for example, he continues to serve that sentence to the end. »
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Yoon’s defense minister, police chief and several senior military commanders had already been arrested for their roles in enforcing martial law.
The arrest warrant for Yoon, issued by the Seoul West District Court, says there are substantial grounds to suspect he committed crimes as a “rebellion leader.”
The anti-graft 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 impeached him on December 14. The impeachment case now rests with the Constitutional Court, which could formally remove Yoon from office or dismiss the case and reinstate him.
In another post on his Facebook account after his arrest, Yoon declared that “martial law is not a crime,” saying his statement was necessary to raise awareness about an opposition that exercised “a legislative dictatorship in blocking laws and budgets” and “crippling” affairs of state. He denied the rebellion charges, calling his indictment a “fraud.”
The scene inside
As they began the arrest operation early in the morning, anti-corruption investigators and police officers clashed for hours at the entrance to the complex with presidential security forces, but encountered no significant resistance. .
Police officers were seen using wire cutters to remove barbed wire placed by presidential security services around the perimeter of the compound to block their entry. Some officers used ladders to scale the rows of buses blocking the entrance to the complex, then investigators began climbing the hilly complex. Investigators and police then arrived at a metal gate bearing a golden presidential mark, located near Yoon’s residential building. Some police officers were seen going through a security door at the side of the metal gate, joined by one of Yoon’s lawyers and his chief of staff, before Yoon was removed.
Preparations and worries
South Korea’s interim leader, Vice Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, issued a statement on Wednesday calling on law enforcement and presidential security services to ensure that there are no “physical confrontations”.
After Yoon’s arrest, Choi met with diplomats from the Group of Seven, including the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom and Germany, as well as the representative of the European Union, to reassure them about the stable functioning of government.
Park Chan-dae, leader of the liberal opposition Democratic Party, which led the legislative campaign to impeach Yoon, said Yoon’s detention was the “first step toward restoring constitutional order, democracy and the achievement of the rule of law.
Lawmakers from Yoon’s People Power Party condemned the detention as illegal.
The National Police Agency has met with field commanders in Seoul and neighboring Gyeonggi Province in recent days to plan their efforts to arrest Yoon, and the size of those forces has fueled speculation that more than 1 000 agents could be deployed. The agency and the police had openly warned that presidential bodyguards who obstructed the execution of the arrest warrant could be detained.
Yoon’s lawyers said the detention warrant issued by the Seoul West District Court was invalid. They cited a law that protects places potentially linked to military secrets from searches without the consent of the person responsible – believed to be Yoon. They also said the anti-corruption agency had no legal authority to investigate the rebellion allegations.
“I am truly appalled to see illegalities upon illegalities upon illegalities and proceedings being forcibly carried out under an invalid warrant,” Yoon said in the video.
“I do not recognize the investigation carried out by the Bureau of Investigation into Senior Officials Corruption. As President, responsible for upholding the constitution and legal system of the Republic of Korea, my decision to comply with such illegal and invalid procedures is not an acknowledgment of them, but rather a desire to prevent unfortunate and bloody incidents.
Yoon’s supporters and critics staged competing protests near the residence – some vowing to protect him, others calling for his imprisonment – as thousands of police in yellow jackets closely monitored the tense situation.
Some Yoon supporters reacted with dismay as the procession headed toward Gwacheon. Some were evacuated by police after lying down on the road in protest.
Yoon declared martial law and deployed troops around the National Assembly on December 3. It only lasted a few hours before lawmakers managed to circumvent the blockade and vote to lift the measure. The opposition-led assembly voted to impeach him for rebellion on December 14.
The Constitutional Court held its first formal hearing on the impeachment case on Tuesday, but the session lasted less than five minutes because Yoon refused to attend. The next hearing is set for Thursday.
