South Korean President Suspended, Yoon Suk-Yeol, was arrested this Wednesday, January 15, after a spectacular intervention led by the police in his residence.
This action comes within the framework of the investigation into its controversial attempt to establish martial law on December 3, an unprecedented initiative in the recent history of the country, while South Korea is going through a major political crisis.
In the early hours of the day, nearly 3,500 agents of the police, including members of the inquiry office on the corruption of high personalities (CIO) and the police, gathered in front of the president’s residence in a posh district of Seoul. Transformed into a real fortress, the home of Yoon Suk-Yeol had been the rallying point for political and judicial tensions for several weeks, according to Western media.
The agents invested the premises shortly after five in the morning, braving the barricades erected by the presidential security team. This operation, which lasted almost five and a half hours, finally led to the arrest of Yoon Suk-Yeol.
Relocated in his residence, the former prosecutor sought to negotiate a surrender without handcuffs, a request refused by the authorities, anxious not to grant any particular privilege to the suspended president. At 10:40 a.m., the police convoy left the complex, transporting Yoon Suk-Yeol to a place of detention to be questioned.
The attempt to establish martial law last December had caused an uproar in the country, exacerbating an already latent political crisis. Yoon Suk-Yeol, criticized for trying to concentrate more powers in his hands, has become the center of discussion on the rule of law and the limits of executive power in South Korea.
