South Korean authorities arrested impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday over insurrection allegations, with the embattled leader saying he agreed to comply with what he called an illegal probe to avoid “bloodshed”.
His arrest, the first ever for an incumbent president, is the latest head-spinning development for one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies even though the country has a history of prosecuting and imprisoning former leaders.
Since lawmakers voted to stand him down after his short-lived declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, Yoon has been holed up at his hillside residence, guarded by a small army of personal security that blocked a previous arrest attempt.
A defiant Yoon Suk Yeol said he submitted himself for questioning to avoid any violence after more than 3,000 police officers marched on his residence to arrest him from the early hours of Wednesday.
“I decided to respond to the CIO’s investigation – despite it being an illegal investigation – to prevent unsavoury bloodshed,” Yoon said in a statement, referring to the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) heading the probe.
Read more: Trial of South Korea’s impeached President Yoon set to begin
Yoon Suk Yeol was later seen leaving his residence in a motorcade and arriving at the CIO offices. Authorities now have 48 hours to question Yoon after which they must seek a warrant to detain him for up to 20 days or release him.
Yoon’s lawyers have said the arrest warrant is illegal because it was issued by a court in the wrong jurisdiction and the team set up to investigate him had no legal mandate to do so.
Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law shocked South Koreans, rattled Asia’s fourth largest economy and ushered in an unprecedented period of political turmoil in one of Washington’s key security partners in the region. Lawmakers voted to impeach him and remove him from duties on Dec. 14.
Separately, the Constitutional Court is deliberating whether to uphold that impeachment and permanently remove him from office or restore his presidential powers.
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