South Korean Impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol Arrested After Tense Standoff

Yoon Suk Yeol has become the first sitting president of South Korea to be arrested after investigators scaled barricades and cut through barbed wire to take him into custody.

The 64-year-old president is under investigation for insurrection related to a failed martial law order issued on December 3, 2024, which sparked nationwide unrest.

Additionally, Yoon has been impeached by parliament and suspended from office. However, his removal from power is contingent on a ruling from the Constitutional Court.

Yoon’s arrest marks the conclusion of a weeks-long standoff between his security team and investigators. On January 3, authorities failed to arrest him after a tense six-hour confrontation with his security detail.

In the early hours of Wednesday, a much larger team of investigators and police, numbering around 1,000, arrived at Yoon’s residence in central Seoul. They used ladders to scale barricades, cut through barbed wire, and even climbed nearby walls to reach the residence.

After hours of effort, authorities announced Yoon’s arrest.

In a brief video released before his detention, Yoon said he would cooperate with the investigation but reiterated his belief that the arrest warrant was legally invalid. “I decided to appear before the CIO, even though it is an illegal investigation, to prevent any unnecessary bloodshed,” he stated, claiming that his home’s security perimeter had been breached by officials using fire equipment.

By Wednesday afternoon, investigators reported that Yoon had remained silent during questioning.