Yeon Suk-yeol became the first South Korean president to be arrested

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has become the country's first president to be arrested, ending a weeks-long standoff between investigators and his personal security.

Yoon, whose failed attempt to impose martial law plunged the country into turmoil and was impeached by parliament, is being investigated for sedition.

However, he is still technically the president, as the Constitutional Court must decide whether his impeachment is valid.

Investigators used ladders and wire cutters in the bitter cold to reach Yoon, whose Presidential Security Service members set up barricades in an attempt to thwart his arrest.

The 64-year-old leader said he had agreed to appear before the Senior Officials Corruption Investigation Bureau (CIO). To avoid bloodshed.

In a three-minute video message, Yoon said he would stick to the investigation against him even though it was against him.

He has consistently maintained that his arrest warrant is legally invalid.

Yoon said he witnessed how authorities “stormed” the security perimeter of his home with fire equipment.

“I decided to appear before the IT director, even though this is an illegal investigation, in order to prevent any hateful bloodshed,” he said.

More than 1,000 officers participated in the operation at dawn on Wednesday, which was the second time officers attempted to arrest him.

The CIO who previously investigated Yoon He tried to arrest him on January 3.

They obtained the arrest warrant after he ignored several summonses to appear for questioning.

Yoon's People Power Party denounced his arrest as “illegal,” and party leader Kooyun Seung-dong described Wednesday's events as “unfortunate.”

On the other hand, opposition Democratic Party leader Park Chan-dae said Yoon's arrest shows that “justice in South Korea is alive.”

He said during a party meeting that this arrest “is the first step towards restoring constitutional order, democracy and the rule of law.”

The country is currently led by Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok as acting president. He came to power after the first acting president, Han Dak Soo was also removed By the opposition majority parliament.

After undergoing questioning on Wednesday, Yoon is expected to be detained at the Seoul Detention Center in Uywang, Gyeonggi Province, about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the CIO's office.

However, if the court does not issue an arrest warrant within 48 hours of Yoon's arrest, he will be released, and will be free to return to the presidential residence.

Although the arrest of a sitting president is a remarkable thing for South Korean politics, the country's political crisis is far from over. It is just another stage in the unfolding political drama.

The crowds outside Yoon's home on Wednesday morning highlighted the country's deep divisions.

The anti-Leon crowd cheered, clapped and sang “Congratulations and Celebrations” as his arrest was announced.

The atmosphere is completely different on the other side.

One of Yoon's supporters told the BBC: “We are very upset and angry. The rule of law has collapsed.”

The standoff also pitted two branches of executive power against each other: law enforcement officers, armed with a legal arrest warrant, and presidential security staff, who said they were obligated to protect the suspended president.

Even before martial law was declared, Yoon turned into a weak leader as the opposition party held a majority in parliament.

He also faced controversy over his wife Get a Dior bag as a gift.