Members of South Korea’s law enforcement have arrested President Yoon Suk Yeol over the mutiny case, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) said.
TASS has gathered all key news on the situation.
Arrest
- The police have arrested South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.
- He is being charged with organizing and leading an insurrection.
- The operation to arrest the president lasted over seven hours, Yonhap reported.
- According to the news agency, the second detention attempt took place at 3:20 a.m. local time on Wednesday (6:20 p.m. GMT on Tuesday).
- The CIO stated that "an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol was executed" at 10:33 a.m. local time (1:33 a.m. GMT).
- Law enforcers have 48 hours to question the president, after which they will have to apply for another warrant to continue the detention.
- The volume of materials for the interrogation, which has started at 11:00 a.m. local time (2:00 a.m. GMT), exceeds 200 pages.
- Yoon Suk Yeol, who was brought into the CIO, refuses to testify.
- The interrogation was reportedly not recorded due to the president’s refusal.
- For the first time in the history of the Republic of Korea, an ousted from power, but still formally incumbent president has been arrested.
- Following his impeachment in parliament, and up until the ruling of South Korea’s Constitutional Court, Yoon Suk Yeol is suspended from office. The court can either reinstate him or remove him from power.
- South Korean laws make it possible to prosecute the sitting president of the country on insurrection and treason charges.
Statements by Yoon Suk Yeol
- Yoon Suk Yeol said that he had decided to come to the CIO on his own in order to prevent the bloodshed but considers the investigation illegal.
- He voiced his lawyers’ arguments that the CIO may not investigate insurrection charges and that the warrant had been given by a wrong court.
- According to Yoon Suk Yeol, he is confident in "a bright future for the country despite the dark present due to the collapse of the rule of law," since he saw that "the youth has once again recognized the true value of liberal democracy."
Martial law, previous arrest attempt
- On the evening of December 3, Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, which was lifted approximately six hours later.
- On December 14, the parliament impeached him, and up until the decision of the constitutional court, he is suspended from office.
- On December 31, the court issued a warrant for the arrest of Yoon Suk Yeol on insurrection charges linked to the martial law situation, and repeated it on January 7.
- During the first detention attempt on January 3, the head of the security service prohibited searches, which led to its failure.
