The South Korean Corruption Investigation Office of Senior Officials (OICAF) arrested dismissed President Yoon Suk-yeol this Wednesday morning, 43 days after he surprised the world by declaring martial law in the country. It is the first time in the Asian nation’s democratic history that a sitting leader has been arrested. “I have decided to appear before the OICAF, even though this is an illegal investigation, to avoid any possibility of bloodshed,” a defiant Yoon said in a videotaped statement, after more than 3,000 police officers Police will march towards his residence to arrest him. “This does not mean that I approve the investigation,” he asserted. This morning was the second attempt to execute the arrest warrant against the president for imposing the extreme measure for a few hours in December and unleashing one of the worst institutional crises in decades.
The arrest warrant was executed at 10:33 a.m. (2:33 a.m. Spanish peninsular time) at the presidential residence. Live images broadcast by local television showed a convoy of vehicles with Yoon on board leaving the complex, located in central Seoul, and heading to the OICAF offices, which are located south of the capital. The order had been issued by the Seoul Western District Court, after the dismissed president ignored three summons to appear for questioning by the OICAF. It was extended last week after expiring; It was valid until January 21.
The OICAF has reported in a statement that the interrogation began at 11:00 (local time) and that it is being presided over by the institution’s deputy director, Lee Jae-seung. Yoon’s legal representatives are present, the press release states. As reported by the Yonhap agency early in the afternoon, the politician has refused to testify.
The interrogation, which has more than 200 pages of questions, according to Yonhap, will seek to support the main accusations against Yoon for the short-lived imposition of military control of the country on December 3. He will be questioned about what happened from the moment the plan to proclaim martial law was planned until it was executed. Although OICAF has been investigating Yoon for actions that could constitute insurrection and abuse of power, it is unclear the extent of this institution’s powers.
In the midst of all this situation, the South Korean Constitutional Court began on Tuesday the trial in which it must reject or validate the dismissal of Yoon as head of state approved in the National Assembly on December 14. The highest court adjourned the session after the president did not appear. The next one is scheduled for Thursday and if Yoon does not attend, the proceedings will continue with his legal team representing him.
The hands of the clock have begun to tick from the moment of Yoon’s arrest: OICAF can detain the president for a maximum of 48 hours and request, within that period, another detention order to continue the investigations for longer. Should a court issue such an order, Yoon could be held for up to 20 days and then brought to trial. If not, the president will be released and will be able to return to the presidential residence.
The suspended president’s legal team considers the order issued against him illegal, believing that the OICAF is not a competent body to investigate the charges of which he is accused. The aforementioned office, on the contrary, maintains that Yoon did not respond to its repeated requests to appear for questioning and that it has sufficient reasons to issue the order. Seok Dong-hyun, one of Yoon’s lawyers, stated in a Facebook post that the conservative leader had agreed to leave his home and meet with investigators to “avoid a serious incident.”
“Unlike what happened during the first arrest attempt, there were no personnel or members of the presidential security service who actively resisted the execution,” an OICAF official told the Yonhap agency. “There were virtually no physical confrontations today,” he declared. On January 3, the authorities were forced to abort the operation after the president’s security service, made up of soldiers and officials, prevented them from entering the official premises: nearly 200 guards formed a human wall that blocked the entrance. , confirming the clash between agencies and powers of the State.
This morning, after being initially blocked by presidential security, who erected a barricade with vehicles near the entrance, police and OICAF officials managed to access the premises by using ladders to enter the complex and cutting the wire with bolt cutters, according to It can be seen in images broadcast by local media. They also met at the entrance to the presidential complex with a group of lawmakers from the ruling People Power Party and Yoon’s lawyers. Some researchers attempted to access the facility via a nearby hiking trail. Four hours later, conversations began with the president’s entourage to coordinate his arrest.
The parliamentary leader of the opposition, Park Chan-dae, has expressed that the arrest “is the first step towards the restoration of constitutional order, democracy and the rule of law.” On the streets of Seoul, some of Yoon’s detractors have burst into cheers and applause after hearing the news, local media report. When it was reported that Yoon’s arrest could occur, some minor altercations took place in the vicinity of the residence between tearful protesters who were there to show their support for the leader and the police, according to the Reuters agency.
Yoon, provisionally dismissed after a parliamentary vote on December 14, is accused of insurrection for trying to impose martial law on December 3. The leader has at all times rejected the charges that have been brought against him and has defended his actions as an “act of government.” He had been locked up in the official quarters for weeks, surrounded by a crowd of supporters who braved the freezing temperatures. This morning it was estimated that there were about 6,500 supporters of the ousted president.
“This is not a fair application of the law,” said Yun Gap-geun, one of the lawyers, who described the arrest as “illegal.” Police are also trying to arrest the deputy head of the presidential security team, Kim Seong-hoon, acting head of the service, for allegedly obstructing investigators from detaining Yoon. Police have circulated messages warning that any attempt to resist the execution of the orders could lead to arrest.
