For his failed attempt to impose martial law, Yoon Suk Yeol became the first head of state still in office to be detained in the Asian country’s history.
The president of Yoon Suk Yeol, relieved of his duties, was arrested this Wednesday (15) for his failed attempt to impose martial law, after hundreds of anti-corruption investigators and police raided his residence to end a weeks-long standoff. Yoon, who was removed in an impeachment trial and charged with insurrection for his short-lived effort to impose martial law in December, thus becomes the first president still in office to be arrested in the Asian country’s history. Hundreds of police officers and agents from the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) arrived at the entrance to the presidential residence before dawn this Wednesday, protected by thousands of Yoon’s supporters and his faithful presidential guard.
Blocked by security personnel, some agents scaled perimeter walls and walked along trails in the back to reach the main building, located at the top of a hill. This was the second attempt to arrest Yoon. The first, on January 3, failed after a tense hours-long standoff with members of Yoon’s official presidential security, who refused to yield as investigators tried to execute his arrest warrant. After hours of tension, Yoon’s lawyer announced this morning that he had agreed to speak with investigators, but, shortly afterwards, they announced that the ousted president had been arrested.
“The Joint Bureau of Investigation served an arrest warrant for the president at 10:33 a.m. [locais, 22h30 da terça-feira em Brasília]”, says the statement from the team made up of the police, the anti-corruption agency and the Ministry of Defense. In a previously recorded video message, the conservative leader stated that he decided to comply with the arrest order “to avoid any unfortunate bloodshed”. The president left his residence in a police convoy and shortly afterwards entered the premises of the anti-corruption agency, AFP journalists confirmed.
Fights and tension
Before the arrest was confirmed, AFP correspondents witnessed some scuffles at the gate, where Yoon’s staunch supporters were camped to protect him, as authorities gained entry into the complex for the first time. Lawmakers from Yoon’s People Power Party also rushed to the area in an apparent attempt to defend the ousted president, according to AFP officials. His supporters chanted “illegal warrant!” while waving glow sticks and South Korean and American flags. Some were lying on the ground outside the main gate of the residential complex.
Police and CIO officials began forcibly removing them from the entrance, while about 30 lawmakers from Yoon’s party also blocked investigators, according to broadcaster Yonhap News TV. Yoon’s security guards installed barbed wire and barricades around the residence, transforming it into what the opposition called a “fortress”. Due to the tense situation, the police decided not to carry firearms, but only to wear bulletproof vests in the new attempt to execute the warrant this Wednesday, in case they were met by armed guards, local media reported.
The current court order allows him to be detained for a maximum of 48 years. For him to remain in custody, investigators must request another arrest warrant. Yoon’s legal team has repeatedly criticized the warrant as illegal. In a parallel investigation, Yoon’s impeachment trial began on Tuesday with a brief hearing after he refused to attend. Although his absence — which his staff attributed to supposed security concerns — forced a procedural postponement, the hearings will continue without Yoon, with the next one scheduled for Thursday.
*With information from AFP
Posted by Victor Oliveira
