South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol arrested after failed martial law declaration

President Yoon Suk Yeol, who has been hiding out in his residence in an attempt to avoid incarceration, has been arrested by authorities and taken away by police.

Anti-corruption investigators had been pursuing the arrest of Mr Yoon following a failed martial law declaration that lasted just hours in South Korea, and which later led to his impeachment.

Before dawn on Wednesday, investigators along with police entered Mr Yoon’s residence for the second time with an arrest warrant, finally taking him into custody following a six-hour standoff.

Mr Yoon’s motorcade was seen leaving his residence according to local media.

Following his arrest, the impeached president was seen exiting a vehicle at the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials in Gwacheon.

In a video statement, the arrested president said he had agreed to be taken by police.

“I decided to appear before the CIO, even though it is an illegal investigation, in order to prevent any unsavoury bloodshed,” Mr Yoon said.

“However, this does not mean that I approve of their investigation.”

Video footage showed hundreds of police officers marching on Wednesday up the road leading to his hillside villa, where he has been holed up for weeks guarded by a small army of personal security.

The investigators arrested the acting head of Mr Yoon’s presidential security service, which blocked a previous attempt to arrest him on January 3, Yonhap News Agency reported.

As local news broadcasters reported that Mr Yoon’s detention may come soon, some minor scuffles broke out between tearful pro-Yoon protesters and police near the residence, according to a Reuters witness at the scene.

Police said they had deployed 3200 officers to Mr Yoon’s residence to execute the arrest on Wednesday, where hundreds of pro-Yoon protesters and members of his People Power Party had also gathered before dawn in sub-zero temperatures.

“As I have repeatedly emphasised the need for prevention of physical conflict between state agencies ... I will sternly hold those responsible if unfortunate events occur,” Acting President Choi Sang-mok said in a statement on Wednesday.

Mr Yoon’s declaration of martial law stunned South Koreans and plunged one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies into an unprecedented period of political turmoil.

The arrest warrant is the first ever issued against an incumbent South Korean president. Mr Yoon’s lawyers have argued the attempts to arrest him are illegal and designed to publicly humiliate him.

Separately, the Constitutional Court is deliberating over whether to uphold a vote by lawmakers to impeach Mr Yoon and permanently remove him from office.

The latest arrest attempt gripped the nation with hundreds of thousands glued to South Korean broadcasters’ live feeds on YouTube since before dawn.

“If the president is arrested, I will be heartbroken,” said Jang Kyoung-sun, 64, a Yoon supporter who had travelled from eastern Gangwon province to Seoul to protest his arrest.

“He declared martial law truly for the nation and the people.”

The opposition Democratic Party, which holds a majority in parliament after a landslide legislative election victory last year, issued a statement calling on Yoon to comply with the arrest.

“There is no place to run anymore,” the party said.

- With Reuters