investigators announce they have arrested President Yoon Suk Yeol who remains silent in police custody

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested on Wednesday January 15 following a new assault on his residence by investigators, who began questioning him at 11 a.m. local time (02 a.m. GMT) about his failed attempt to impose martial law in early December. After an initial raid which turned into a fiasco at the beginning of January, agents from the Office for the Investigation of Corruption of High Personalities (CIO) and the police showed up in large numbers, before dawn, at the home transformed into a fortress where the he former prosecutor has been holed up for weeks in an upscale neighborhood of Seoul. After several hours, the team in charge of the operation indicated in a press release that they had “executed an arrest warrant against President Yoon Suk Yeol” at 10:33 a.m. (01:33 GMT).

Mr. Yoon, the first sitting South Korean head of state to be arrested, “exercises his right to remain silent“, an official from the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) told the press. The conservative leader had however announced earlier, in a video message, that he had decided to “respond to the Corruption Investigation Bureau”adding that he did not recognize the legality of the investigation but that he submitted to it “to avoid any unfortunate bloodshed”. 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.

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This is the “first step towards the return of constitutional order, democracy and the rule of law”greeted Park Chan-dae, head of deputies of the Democratic Party (main opposition force) in Parliament. Yoon risks his post 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”. Within a Parliament surrounded by soldiers, the deputies then foiled his plans by voting for a text demanding the lifting of this state of exception. Put under pressure by elected officials, thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators and constrained by the Constitution, Yoon Suk Yeol had to comply.

A trial in progress

On January 3, the Presidential Security Service (PSS), responsible for protecting heads of state, blocked the IOC's initial attempt to execute the first arrest warrant against Yoon. For their second raid, prompted by a new arrest order, the authorities had warned that they would apprehend anyone who obstructed them. Brief altercations first broke out in front of the gate of the residence, where thousands of supporters determined to defend Yoon Suk Yeol were camped, some chanting “Illegal warrant!”noted AFP. Teams from the IOC and the police then had to climb over the surrounding wall using ladders before getting past vehicle blockades inside the site. As they advanced toward the front door of the presidential home, police arrested the interim PSS chief, Yonhap news agency reported.

Very unpopular, Yoon Suk Yeol was suspended on December 14 following the adoption by the National Assembly of an impeachment motion. On Tuesday, the Constitutional Court formally launched the trial to confirm or refute the sanctions of the deputies, with a very short first hearing. Yoon did not attend, citing reasons “concerns” regarding security. The procedure 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 60 days.