South Korea's impeached President Yoon detained in major law enforcement operation

[January 15, 2025]  By KIM TONG-HYUNG

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol, was detained in a major law enforcement operation at the presidential compound Wednesday, defiantly insisting the anti-corruption agency didn’t have the authority to investigate his actions but saying he complied to prevent violence.

Yoon, the country’s first sitting president to be apprehended, now faces the prospect of a lengthy prison term over potential rebellion charges.

In a video message recorded shortly before he was escorted to the headquarters of the anti-corruption agency, Yoon lamented 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” the efforts to oust him. He has justified his declaration of martial law Dec. 3 as a legitimate act of governance against an “anti-state” opposition employing its legislative majority to thwart his agenda.

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

A series of black SUVs, some equipped with sirens, were seen leaving the presidential compound with police escorts. Yoon was later seen stepping out of a vehicle after arriving at the agency’s office in the nearby city of Gwacheon. Following questioning, Yoon was expected to be sent to a detention center in Uiwang, near Seoul.

What’s next?
Yoon could be held in custody for weeks, possibly even months or longer.

The anti-corruption agency, which is leading a joint investigation with the police and the military over whether Yoon’s martial law declaration amounted to an attempted rebellion, has 48 hours to request a court order for his formal arrest on a charge of attempting a rebellion.

If it fails to do so, Yoon will be released. If Yoon is formally arrested, investigators can extend his detention to 20 days before transferring the case to public prosecutors for indictment.

If prosecutors indict Yoon on rebellion and abuse of power charges, which are the allegations examined by investigators, he could possibly remain under arrest until the initial court ruling, which is typically made within six months, said Park Sung-bae, an attorney specializing in criminal law.

Under South Korean law, the leader of a rebellion can face the death penalty or life imprisonment, if convicted.

“If the first court hands down a prison sentence, the detention simply continues,” Park said. “If they sentence him to life imprisonment, for example, he continues serving that sentence straight through.”

Yoon’s defense minister, police chief and several top military commanders already had been arrested over their roles in the enforcement of martial law.

The detention warrant for Yoon, issued by the Seoul Western District Court, said there were substantial reasons to suspect that he committed crimes as a “ringleader of a rebellion.”

The anti-corruption agency told reporters that Yoon, during several hours of questioning through Wednesday, exercised his right to remain silent.

Yoon’s presidential powers were suspended when parliament impeached him on Dec. 14. The impeachment case now rests with the Constitutional Court, which could formally remove Yoon from office or reject the case and reinstate him.

In a separate message posted on his Facebook account after he was detained, Yoon said that “martial law is not a crime,” saying his declaration was necessary to raise awareness about an opposition that was exercising “legislative dictatorship by blocking laws and budgets” and “paralyzing” state affairs. He denied the rebellion accusations, describing his impeachment as “fraud.”

The scene at the compound
As they began the detention operation in the early morning, the anti-corruption investigators and police officers engaged in an hourslong standoff at the compound’s gate with presidential security forces, but otherwise encountered no meaningful resistance.

Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arrives at the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials in Gwacheon, South Korea, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (Korea Pool via AP)

Police officers were seen using wire cutters to remove the barbed wire placed by the presidential security service on the perimeter of the compound to block their entry. Some police officers used ladders to climb over rows of buses blocking the compound’s entrance, and then the investigators began moving up the hilly compound. The investigators and police later arrived in front of a metal gate with a gold presidential mark that’s near Yoon’s residential building. Some officers were seen entering a security door on the side of the metal gate, joined by one of Yoon’s lawyers and his chief of staff, before Yoon was driven out.

The preparations and the concerns
South Korea’s acting leader, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, issued a statement early Wednesday urging law enforcement and the presidential security service to ensure there were no “physical clashes.”

Following Yoon’s detention, Choi met with diplomats from the Group of Seven nations, including the United States, Japan, the U.K. and Germany, as well as the representative of the European Union, to reassure them that the government was functioning with stability.

Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the liberal opposition Democratic Party, which drove the legislative campaign to impeach Yoon, said that Yoon’s detention was the “first step toward restoring constitutional order, democracy, and realizing the rule of law.”

Lawmakers from Yoon’s People Power Party condemned the detention as unlawful.

The National Police Agency met with field commanders in Seoul and nearby Gyeonggi province in recent days to plan their efforts to detain Yoon, and the size of those forces fueled speculation that more than 1,000 officers could be deployed. The agency and police had openly warned that presidential bodyguards obstructing the execution of the warrant could be taken into custody.

Yoon’s lawyers have said that the detention warrant issued by the Seoul Western District Court was invalid. They cited a law that protects locations potentially linked to military secrets from search without the consent of the person in charge — which would be Yoon. They also said that the anti-corruption agency had no legal authority to investigate rebellion allegations.

“I am truly appalled to see illegalities upon illegalities upon illegalities being carried out and procedures being forcefully conducted under an invalid warrant,” Yoon said in the video.

“I do not acknowledge the investigation by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials. As the president, who is 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 willingness to prevent unfortunate and bloody incidents.”

Yoon’s supporters and critics have held competing protests near the residence — one side vowing to protect him, the other calling for his imprisonment — while thousands of police officers in yellow jackets closely monitored the tense situation.

Some Yoon supporters reacted with dismay as they watched the motorcade head toward Gwacheon. A few were removed by police officers after lying down on the road in protest.

What led to this
Yoon declared martial law and deployed troops around the National Assembly on Dec. 3. It lasted only hours before lawmakers managed to get through the blockade and vote to lift the measure. The opposition-led assembly voted to impeach him on rebellion charges on Dec. 14.

The Constitutional Court held its first formal hearing in 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.

The White House National Security Council issued a statement saying that the U.S. stands by its support for the Korean people and “our shared commitment to the rule of law.” It said that Washington remains committed to working with the government led by Seoul’s acting leader, Choi, and reaffirms the strength of the countries’ alliance.

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