South Korean Authorities Detain Impeached President Yoon Following Martial Law Investigation

AP, SEOUL, JAN 15, 2025 : South Korea’s impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol, was sent to a detention center near Seoul on Wednesday night, after being questioned by anti-corruption officials who took him into custody over his imposition of martial law last month. Yoon was detained during a significant law enforcement operation at the presidential compound earlier in the day.

Yoon defiantly insisted that the country’s anti-corruption agency, which led the raid in collaboration with police, did not have the authority to investigate his actions. However, he said he complied with the authorities' orders to prevent potential violence. As South Korea's first sitting president to be apprehended, Yoon now faces the prospect of a lengthy prison term for potential rebellion charges.

In a video message recorded shortly before he was escorted to the headquarters of the anti-corruption agency, Yoon lamented that the "rule of law has completely collapsed in this country." Yoon had been holed up at his Hannam-dong residence in 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 that was using its legislative majority to hinder his agenda.

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials reported that Yoon was taken into custody about five hours after investigators arrived at the presidential compound and about three hours after they successfully entered his residence, in their second attempt to detain him for his imposition of martial law.

On Wednesday, an unidentified man was in life-threatening condition after an apparent self-immolation near the site, according to the Gyeonggi provincial fire department. After being questioned for more than 10 hours, a vehicle carrying Yoon arrived at a detention center in Uiwang, near Seoul, escorted by police and presidential security vehicles. Yoon could be held in custody for weeks, possibly even months or longer.