OAN Staff Blake Wolf
10:56 AM – Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was detained on Wednesday at the presidential compound, opting to comply with the massive law enforcement operation ordered by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, an anti-corruption agency.
Yoon’s arrest pertains to the martial law order he imposed on the country in December.
Although short lived, the martial law order was put in place to “protect the constitutional order based on freedom and eradicate shameful pro-North Korea anti-state groups, that are stealing freedom and happiness of our people.”
The backlash surrounding Yoon’s declaration of martial law has resulted in overwhelming calls to impeach the president, which passed with a two-thirds majority vote, making Prime Minister Han Duck-soo the acting president.
Han was also impeached, as members of the National Assembly argued that he was not complying with the formal process required to complete Yoon’s impeachment, leading to Choi Sang-mok, a former deputy prime minister, serving as acting president.
The National Assembly argued that Yoon’s declaration of martial law was unconstitutional, as there were no signs of national emergency. They also claimed that he failed to give lawmakers a notice in advance.
Yoon’s high profile arrest saw law enforcement deploy around 3,000 personnel to the presidential compound where Yoon was holed up since his impeachment, arresting him hours after police arrived.
On his way out, Yoon stated that the “rule of law has completely collapsed in this country.”
“Although it is an illegal investigation, I decided to agree to appear at the CIO in order to prevent ugly bloodshed,” he continued, vowing to “fight to the end.”
Meanwhile, hundreds of Yoon’s supporters gathered outside of the anti-corruption agency’s office to protest the arrest, chanting “We will fight alongside President Yoon Suk Yoel!”
The detainment attempt was the second time that the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials attempted to bring Yoon into custody.
The first attempt took place on January 3rd, ending in a six-hour-long standoff with the president’s security staff. It was eventually called off.
Yoon’s legal team has consistently argued that executing a warrant for Yoon’s arrest was unlawful as South Korean law bars non-consensual searches of locations linked to military secrets.
The anti-corruption agency has 48 hours to request a court order for his formal arrest. Yoon could be released if the agency fails to do so, as prosecutors gear up to indict the former president on charges of rebellion and abuse of power.
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