The arrest of South Korea’s impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol defuses a potentially dangerous standoff between investigators and his security team, but the country remains mired in deep political turmoil.
Yoon is the first sitting president in South Korean history to be detained after investigators backed by thousands of police officers entered his heavily barricaded residence in central Seoul early Wednesday morning and took him into custody. Yoon reportedly spent the night in a cell in the Seoul Detention Centre where he is being questioned on charges of insurrection following his declaration of martial law on December 3rd, the first since democratic rule was introduced in 1987.
As Yoon was being interrogated an unidentified man in his 60s set himself on fire nearby, fire services said. The man was severely burned and was unconscious.
Authorities have 48 hours to question Yoon, after which they must seek a warrant to detain him for up to 20 days or release him. However, Yoon is refusing to talk and has not agreed to have interviews with investigators recorded on video, an official said. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials that is heading the criminal inquiry said it had no information on why Yoon was refusing to talk.
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He had spent over a week sheltering behind his own armed military and security services to stop police from serving the arrest warrant.
But in a video message recorded before his arrest, Yoon said he was “appalled” at what he called an “illegal and illegitimate” investigation and would agree to questioning only “to prevent any unsavory bloodshed”.
“Unfortunately, the rule of law has broken down in this country,” he said.
The statement pits Yoon, who could face a lengthy imprisonment, against prosecutors, the courts and the political opposition. Yoon’s right-wing supporters say he is the victim of a conspiracy that stole the 2024 national election.
Commentators have accused the former prosecutor of encouraging his supporters to challenge the democratic process. “In order to escape the consequences of his actions Yoon is instigating unprecedented political polarisation and social unrest while pushing the foundations of Korean democracy to the brink of collapse,” said Simone Chun of the Alliance of Scholars Concerned about Korea in the Hankyoreh newspaper.
Separate from the criminal case against Yoon he has also refused to appear before the constitutional court, which has 180 days (from December 14th) to decide if he is formally removed from office or reinstated. Until then he technically remains the president despite being stripped of his political powers.
A session of the court ended after just a few minutes on Tuesday when he did not show. Another session is scheduled for Thursday.
Police say 30 lawmakers from Yoon’s conservative People Power Party were among the crowd of more than 6,000 supporters outside his residence when he was arrested. Some scuffles were reported but no serious violence.
Opposition politicians have welcomed Yoon’s arrest. “It is the first step to restoring the constitutional order and democracy, and upholding the rule of law,” Park Chan-dae, the floor leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, said on Wednesday.
If his impeachment is confirmed Yoon will go down as democratic South Korea’s shortest-serving president. He could also face a criminal trial for abusing his powers in calling the martial law decree.
The South Korean media says he is refusing to answer questions by investigators and is likely to send his lawyers to the impeachment hearings in the constitutional court.
The EU previously said it “takes note of the decision by the national assembly to impeach President Yoon Seok Yul. It is important now to ensure a swift and orderly resolution of the current political crisis in line with the Korean constitution. The Republic of Korea is an important strategic partner for the EU.”
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