Crime and Punishment

Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested early Wednesday on insurrection charges stemming from his controversial Dec. 3 declaration of martial law, signaling an intensifying political crisis that has divided the nation, NPR reported.

The dramatic arrest, the first of a sitting president in South Korea, followed a pre-dawn raid on Yoon’s presidential residence in central Seoul, involving more than 3,200 law enforcement officers.

Led by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), Wednesday’s operation comes nearly two weeks after a failed attempt to detain Yoon on charges of insurrection.

During the earlier raid, Yoon’s security detail resisted law enforcement, creating a five-hour standoff that ended with police retreating.

On Wednesday, police dismantled barricades and used ladders and wire cutters to breach the compound, while anti-Yoon protesters and his supporters gathered outside in freezing temperatures.

After a two-hour negotiation, the embattled leader surrendered. He later released a video in which he called the investigation “illegal” but said he complied to avoid violence between his security detail and police.

The charges against Yoon stem from his brief imposition of martial law last month when he deployed troops to the National Assembly in what lawmakers called an unconstitutional attempt to arrest opposition figures. Parliament overturned the declaration hours later and lawmakers impeached Yoon on Dec. 14.

Analysts say Yoon’s arrest has intensified public and political divisions in South Korea.

A recent Gallup Korea poll found that 64 percent of respondents support his impeachment, with younger South Koreans particularly critical of what they say is his authoritarian overreach. Many have participated in protests demanding his removal.

However, Yoon’s conservative supporters warned that his detention threatens the country’s stability, with his party’s approval rating rising to 34 percent, its highest since mid-2023.

Now, the CIO has 48 hours to question Yoon before seeking an additional arrest warrant or releasing him.

Having been taken to and held overnight at the Seoul Detention Centre, Yoon was to refuse to attend further questioning Thursday, Reuters reported his lawyer as saying. But even if he is released, Yoon remains impeached and acting President Choi Sang-mok will continue to retain control of the government, according to the Washington Post.

The country’s constitutional court is now deliberating whether to uphold his impeachment or reinstate him as president. If the impeachment is upheld, South Korea must hold a new presidential election within two months. Yoon failed to appear earlier this week for the proceedings. They resume Thursday.