Security personnel gather near parked buses to protect ousted South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol from a possible second arrest attempt, at the main entrance of his official residence in Seoul, South Korea, January 8, 2025.
Reuters | Kim Hong Ji
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol He was reportedly arrested by the country's Corruption Investigation Bureau to senior officials, the first of its kind for a sitting South Korean leader.
This was the second attempt to arrest the ousted president, after the failed attempt on January 3 when agents from South Korea's presidential security service prevented investigators from entering Yoon's residence.
About 1,000 police officers were reportedly involved in the second attempt to execute the arrest warrant, nearly 10 times as many as the first attempt.
The CIO had initially requested the arrest warrant after Yoon failed to show up for questioning, which was issued by the Seoul District Court on December 31. The memorandum was then extended after its term initially expired on January 6.
Yoon faces charges of rebellion after failing to declare martial law on December 3, a charge that is not subject to presidential immunity and carries a maximum penalty of death.
On December 3, Yoon made a surprise late-night broadcast and declared martial law, citing the need to protect the country from “North Korean communist forces” and “anti-state forces.” This was the first time martial law had been declared in South Korea in more than 40 years.
Lawmakers then managed to bypass police barriers and voted against the declaration in the country's parliament, before filing impeachment motions against Yoon a few days later. Yoon was impeached on December 14 and suspended from his position.
The Constitutional Court of South Korea has
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