South Korea’s impeached president detained in martial law investigation

South Korea’s anti-corruption agency says impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol has been detained over his imposition of martial law last month.

In a video message recorded before he was escorted to the headquarters of an anti-corruption agency, Mr Yoon lamented that the “rule of law has completely collapsed in this country”, but said he was complying with the detention warrant to prevent clashes between law enforcement officials and the presidential security service.

A series of black SUVs, some equipped with sirens, were seen leaving the presidential compound with police escorts.

A vehicle apparently carrying the president later arrived at the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials in the nearby city of Gwacheon.

Following the questioning, Mr Yoon was expected to be sent to a detention centre in Uiwang, near Seoul. He could be held in custody for weeks.

The anti-corruption agency, which is leading a joint investigation with the police and the military over whether Mr Yoon’s martial law declaration amounted to an attempted rebellion, has 48 hours to request a court order for a formal arrest on a charge of attempting a rebellion.

If it fails to do so, the president will be released. If he is formally arrested, investigators can extend his detention to 20 days before transferring the case to public prosecutors for indictment.

Mr Yoon was brought into custody about three hours after hundreds of law enforcement officers entered the residential compound in their second attempt to detain him over his imposition of martial law last month.

The anti-corruption agency told reporters Mr Yoon exercised his right to remain silent during his first two hours of questioning.

The detainment warrant for Mr Yoon, issued by the Seoul Western District Court, said there were substantial reasons to suspect that he committed crimes as a “ringleader of a rebellion.”

His lawyers tried to persuade investigators not to execute the detention warrant, saying the president would voluntarily appear for questioning, but the agency declined.

Mr Yoon has been holed up in the Hannam-dong residence in the capital Seoul for weeks while vowing to “fight to the end” against the efforts to oust him.

He has justified his declaration of martial law on December 3 as a legitimate act of governance against an “anti-state” opposition employing its legislative majority to thwart his agenda.

Investigators are likely to ask a court for permission to make a formal arrest. Otherwise, he will be released after 48 hours.

“I am truly appalled to see illegalities upon illegalities upon illegalities being carried out and procedures being forcefully conducted under an invalid warrant,” Mr Yoon said in the video released before his detention.

“I do not acknowledge the investigation by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials.

“As the president, who is responsible for upholding the constitution and legal system of the Republic of Korea, my decision to comply with such illegal and invalid procedures is not an acknowledgment of them, but rather a willingness to prevent unfortunate and bloody incidents.”

The officers seemingly encountered no meaningful resistance from presidential security forces as they approached Mr Yoon’s residence and there were no immediate reports of clashes.

Officers seemingly encountered no meaningful resistance from presidential security forces as they approached Mr Yoon’s residence and there were no immediate reports of clashes.

Following an hours-long standoff at the compound’s gate, anti-corruption investigators and police officers were seen moving up the hilly compound. Police officers were earlier seen using ladders to climb over rows of buses placed by the presidential security service near the compound’s entrance.

Despite a court warrant for Mr Yoon’s detention, the presidential security service has insisted it is obligated to protect the impeached president and had fortified the compound with barbed wire and rows of buses blocking paths.

South Korea’s acting leader, deputy prime minister Choi Sang-mok issued a statement early on Wednesday urging law enforcement and the presidential security service to ensure there are no “physical clashes”.

Following the detainment, Mr Choi met with diplomats from the Group of Seven nations, including the US, UK, Japan,and Germany, as well as the representative of the European Union, to reassure them that the government was functioning stably.

The liberal opposition Democratic Party, which drove a legislative campaign that led to Mr Yoon’s impeachment on December 14, issued a statement calling for the presidential security service to stand down and co-operate with Yoon’s detention. Members of Mr Yoon’s People Power Party held a rally near the presidential residence, decrying the efforts to detain him as unlawful.

Mr Yoon’s supporters and critics have held competing protests near the residence — one side vowing to protect him, the other calling for his imprisonment — while thousands of police officers in yellow jackets closely monitored the tense situation.

Mr Yoon declared martial law and deployed troops around the National Assembly on December 3. It lasted only hours before lawmakers managed to get through the blockade and vote to lift the measure.

Mr Yoon’s presidential powers were suspended when the opposition-dominated assembly voted to impeach, accusing him of rebellion.

His fate now rests with the Constitutional Court, which has begun deliberating on whether to formally remove him from office or reject the charges and reinstate him.

The Constitutional Court held its first formal hearing in the case on Tuesday, but the session lasted less than five minutes because the president refused to attend.

The next hearing is set for Thursday and the court will then proceed with the trial, whether or not Mr Yoon is there.