On Wednesday morning, Yoon left his official residence in a motorcade accompanied by investigators and was taken into custody.
This marks the first time in South Korea’s history that a sitting president has been arrested.
Yoon is facing multiple investigations related to his brief declaration of martial law, including accusations of leading an insurrection, a charge that could carry a life sentence or even the death penalty.
For weeks, Yoon had remained in his heavily secured residence, protected by his Presidential Security Service, as he evaded arrest amid several ongoing investigations and an impending impeachment trial.
The Corruption Investigation Office (CIO), working alongside police and the defense ministry, had tried to detain Yoon earlier this month but was thwarted after a tense standoff in which security personnel blocked around 80 officers and investigators from reaching the presidential compound.
After his arrest, Yoon issued a pre-recorded video message in which he again dismissed the investigations as “illegal,” stating, “The law is all broken in this country.”
He added, “As a president who must protect the constitution and legal system of the Republic of Korea, responding to these illegal and invalid procedures is not an acknowledgment of them, but in the hopes of preventing unsavory bloodshed.”
Under the arrest warrant, investigators have 48 hours to hold Yoon, after which they would need to apply for a further arrest warrant to extend his detention.
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