South Korean President Yoon was arrested for attempting a short-term martial law Political news

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Investigators used ladders to gain access to President Yoon Suk-yeol’s residence after he failed to appear at his impeachment trial.

South Korean investigators have arrested impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on sedition charges for briefly imposing martial law in a move quickly overturned by the country’s National Assembly.

“At 10:33 a.m. (01:30 GMT) today (January 15), the Joint Investigation Staff executed an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk-yeol,” authorities said in a statement on Wednesday.

In a pre-recorded video message released after his arrest, Yoon said he decided to question the failed martial law proposal to prevent “bloodshed”.

“I have decided to respond to the Corruption Investigation Bureau,” Yoon said, adding that he did not accept the legality of the investigation but was doing so “to avoid any untoward bloodshed.”

South Korean investigators and police reportedly used ladders to climb into Yoon’s apartment complex after it was initially blocked by the Presidential Security Service.

Thousands of people, including supporters, gathered outside Yoon’s home, while a group of lawmakers from the ruling conservative People’s Power Party and Yoon’s lawyers tried to block the arrest at the apartment complex, reports said.

After his arrest, Yoon’s presidential motorcade was seen leaving his hillside residence with a police escort. The car carrying Yoon apparently later arrived at the High-Level Officials Corruption Investigation Office in nearby Gwacheon.

The confrontation at Yoon’s presidential residence took place hours later could not be seen On December 3, for the first hearing in the impeachment trial on the imposition of short-term martial law.

Al Jazeera’s Patrick Fok, reporting from Seoul, said about 1,000 police officers were involved in the arrest operation at the president’s residence, and Yun will now be questioned.

“The corruption investigation department can detain him for a maximum of 48 hours. After that, they must decide whether to apply for a warrant for the president’s arrest,” Fok said.

“It’s not clear whether it will be necessary, but it’s certainly been very difficult to get to this point,” he said.

Fok said Yoon did not attend the opening of his impeachment trial on Tuesday, and South Korea’s Constitutional Court said his presence was needed.

“Now he is arrested, maybe he will appear in court tomorrow,” he said.

Wednesday’s operation was the second attempt by investigators to arrest Yoon. Earlier failed attempt It ended after an hours-long standoff with the security team inside the presidential residence in early January.

Since then, Yoon was left Inside his hillside villa in Seoul for weeks to avoid arrest. He failed to appear at the impeachment trial on Tuesday morning, prompting adjournment minutes after the hearing had begun.

Lawyers for the impeached president said he would not attend the impeachment hearings, saying the authorities’ continued efforts to detain him would prevent him from expressing his views freely.

The trial follows Yoon’s impeachment vote on December 14, after the South Korean National Assembly imposed martial law in a surprise speech on the night of December 3, 2024.