Following a new operation carried out by investigators and the police, the dismissed South Korean president, Yoon Suk Yeol, was finally arrested on Wednesday, January 15, around 10:30 a.m. local time (2 p.m. 30 in Paris) in his residence. In the process, agents of the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) began questioning him in their premises about his failed attempt to impose martial law in early December.
Suspended by deputies and targeted by an investigation for “rebellion” for his coup, the conservative leader had until now always refused to explain himself, pushing prosecutors to resort to arrest warrants. Never before has a sitting head of state been arrested in South Korea.
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Yoon Suk Yeol may be held in custody for 48 hours under the current warrant. Investigators will have to request a new one to possibly extend his detention.
“I decided to respond to the Corruption Investigation Bureau”Mr. Yoon announced in a video message, adding that he did not recognize the legality of the investigation but that he submitted to it “to avoid any unfortunate bloodshed.”
“A first step towards the return of democracy”
The CIO staff, accompanied by the police, had launched their second attempt to arrest the leader well before dawn. Brief altercations first broke out in front of the gate of the residence, where thousands of supporters were camped determined to defend Mr. Yoon, some chanting “Illegal warrant! »according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The Yonhap agency reported a « impasse » with the Presidential Security Service (PSS), responsible for protecting heads of state. The PSS has already failed a first attempt, on January 3.
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The investigators, who had warned that they would apprehend anyone who obstructed them, were caught in a “physical confrontation as they try[yaient] to enter the presidential residence by force”Yonhap said, without saying who was involved in the opposing camp. Punches flew from both sides, according to an AFP journalist. At least one person was injured after falling during this altercation and was exfiltrated by firefighters, according to television images.
The IOC and police teams finally had to climb over the surrounding wall using ladders before crossing vehicle blockades inside the site. As they advanced toward the front door of the presidential home, police arrested the interim leader of the PSS, according to Yonhap. Some 30 lawmakers from Mr. Yoon's People Power Party (PPP) were also on hand to protect their leader, the agency said.
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“The arrest of Yoon Suk Yeol is the first step towards the return of constitutional order, democracy and the rule of law”said Park Chan-dae, leader of the Democratic Party deputies in Parliament, the main opposition party.
Political chaos
Mr. Yoon, 64, risks his mandate for having briefly introduced martial law on December 3, a shock measure reminiscent of the dark hours of the military dictatorship. He then justified it by his desire to protect the country from “North Korean communist forces” and“eliminate elements hostile to the State”.
In a Parliament surrounded by soldiers, a sufficient number of deputies quickly thwarted his plans by voting for a text demanding the lifting of this state of exception. Put under pressure by elected officials, by thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators and constrained by the Constitution, Mr. Yoon had to comply.
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The country has been plunged into political chaos since Mr. Yoon's coup, suspended on December 14 after the National Assembly adopted an impeachment motion against him. The arrest warrant from CIO investigators was renewed a few days after the first arrest attempt on January 3, interrupted after six hours of tense face-to-face with the presidential security service.
Trial begins
For this second raid, which promised to be extremely tense, the police had decided not to carry firearms, limiting themselves to bulletproof vests, local media explained. Yoon Suk Yeol's protection agents had been strengthening the defenses of his home for several days with barbed wire and bus barriers blocking the entrance.
On Tuesday, the Constitutional Court formally launched the impeachment trial of the conservative leader, with a very short first hearing. Mr. Yoon did not show up, citing “concerns” regarding security. The trial will continue even without him, with a second hearing scheduled for Thursday.
The court has until mid-June to decide the future of Yoon Suk Yeol, still officially the president pending the verdict. The court may either dismiss him definitively or reinstate him in his functions. If she chooses the first option, a new presidential election must be organized within sixty days.
