South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arrested over failed martial law bid

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested on Wednesday over his failed martial law bid, after hundreds of anti-graft investigators and police raided his residence to end a weeks-long standoff.

Yoon, who was impeached and charged with insurrection over his short-lived effort to impose martial law last month, is the first sitting president in the nation's history to be arrested.

A former prosecutor who led the conservative People Power Party to election victory in 2022, Yoon could face the death penalty or life in jail if he is found guilty of insurrection.

He had sought to evade arrest for weeks by remaining in his residential compound, protected by members of the Presidential Security Service (PSS) who had remained loyal to him.

Yoon's guards had installed barbed wire and barricades at the residence, turning it into what the opposition called a "fortress".

A first attempt on January 3 failed after a tense hours-long standoff between the guards and anti-graft investigators working with police. 

Yoon vowed shortly after that to "fight to the end".

But before dawn on Wednesday, hundreds of police officers and investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office again surrounded the residence, some scaling perimeter walls and hiking up back trails to reach the main building.

After another few hours of a standoff, authorities announced Yoon had been arrested and the impeached leader released a pre-recorded video message.

"I decided to respond to the Corruption Investigation Office," Yoon said in the message, adding that he did not accept the legality of the investigation but was complying "to prevent any unfortunate bloodshed."

Yoon left his residence in a convoy and was taken to the offices of the Corruption Investigation Office.

AFP reporters earlier witnessed brief scuffles at the gate of the residence, where Yoon's die-hard supporters had been camped out to protect him, as authorities first moved on the compound. 

Lawmakers from the People Power Party also rushed to the area in an apparent bid to defend him, AFP reporters saw.

His supporters were heard chanting "illegal warrant!" while waving glow sticks and South Korean and American flags. Some laid on the ground outside the residential compound's main gate.

Police and CIO officers began forcibly removing them from the entrance to the residence while around 30 lawmakers from Yoon's ruling People Power Party also blocked investigators, Yonhap News TV reported.

Due to the tense situation, police decided not to carry firearms but only to wear bulletproof vests for the new attempt Wednesday, in case they were met by armed guards, local media reported.

Defiant

Yoon shocked the nation late on December 3 when he declared martial law, claiming he needed to safeguard South Korea "from the threats posed by North Korea's communist forces and eliminate anti-state elements".

He deployed troops to parliament but lawmakers defied them and voted against martial law. Yoon revoked martial law after just six hours. 

Yoon can be held for up to 48 hours following his arrest. Investigators would need to apply for another arrest warrant to keep him in custody.

Yoon's legal team had repeatedly decried the warrant as illegal.

His ruling party also said Wednesday's arrest was unlawful.

"History will inevitably record the fact that the CIO and the police executed an unjust and illegal warrant," PPP floor leader Kweon Seong-dong told a party meeting, apologising to Yoon's supporters.

In a parallel probe, the Constitutional Court on Tuesday launched a trial to rule on parliament's impeachment of Yoon.

If the court endorses the impeachment, Yoon will finally lose the presidency and fresh elections will have to be held within 60 days.

The trial was adjourned on Tuesday after only a very brief hearing as Yoon declined to attend. The next hearing is set for Thursday, although the proceedings could last for months.

South Korea's opposition Democratic Party celebrated Yoon's detention.

"The arrest of Yoon Suk Yeol is the first step toward restoring constitutional order, democracy and the rule of law," floor leader Park Chan-dae told the party in a meeting.

"Although overdue, it is truly fortunate to confirm that public authority and justice in South Korea are still alive."

The country's parliament speaker echoed those sentiments.

"Now that the chaotic situation has ended, we should concentrate our efforts on stabilising state affairs and restoring people's livelihoods," Woo Won-shik said.

(AFP)