South Korea's impeached President Yoon detained in massive law-enforcement effort

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol was taken into custody on Wednesday in a massive law enforcement operation at the presidential compound. He openly declared that the anti-corruption agency had no authority to investigate his actions but said he was cooperating to prevent violence.

In a video recorded before he was escorted to the anti-corruption agency headquarters, Yoon lamented that “the rule of law in this country has completely collapsed.” He is the first sitting president of the country to be detained. Previously, he had holed up for weeks at his Hannam-dong residence in Seoul, vowing to “fight to the end” against efforts to remove him from office. He argued that his declaration of martial law on Dec. 3 was a legitimate act of governance against an “anti-state” opposition that was using its legislative majority to thwart his agenda.

The Senior Officials Corruption Investigation Office said Yoon was taken into custody about five hours after investigators arrived at the presidential compound and about three hours after their second attempt to detain him to hold him accountable for his martial law declaration. A convoy of black SUVs, some with sirens, left the presidential compound under police escort. Yoon was later seen walking out of a vehicle after arriving at the anti-corruption agency’s office in the nearby city of Gwacheon. After questioning, Yoon is expected to be sent to the Ui Wang detention center near Seoul.

What happens next? Yoon could be detained for weeks. The anti-corruption agency is jointly investigating with police and the military whether Yoon’s martial law declaration constituted an attempted rebellion, and the agency has 48 hours to ask a court to issue a formal arrest warrant charging him with attempted rebellion. If it fails to do so, Yoon would be released. If Yoon is formally arrested, investigators could extend his detention for up to 20 days before handing the case over to prosecutors for indictment. Yoon’s presidential powers were suspended when parliament impeached him on Dec. 14. The impeachment case is now with the Constitutional Court, which could formally remove Yoon from office or dismiss the case and restore him to his position.

At the scene at the presidential compound, anti-corruption investigators and police met hours of standoff with presidential security forces at the compound’s gates when they began the detention operation in the early morning, but otherwise faced no meaningful resistance. Some police used ladders to climb over a line of buses placed by presidential security near the compound’s entrance before investigators began moving through the hilly presidential compound. Investigators and police later arrived at a metal gate with a gold presidential insignia near Yoon’s residential building. Some officers were seen entering a security door on the side of the metal gate, joined by one of Yoon’s lawyers and his chief of staff. Presidential security later moved a bus and other vehicles that were parked inside the gate as barricades. Despite a court-issued warrant for Yoon’s detention, presidential security insisted they were obligated to protect the impeached president and blocked off the presidential compound with razor wire and lines of buses.

South Korea’s acting leader, Deputy Prime Minister Choe Sang-mok, issued a statement earlier Wednesday urging law enforcement and presidential security to ensure that no “physical clashes” occur. Park Chan-dae, the whip of the liberal opposition Democratic Party, which pushed the legislative effort that led to Yoon’s impeachment on Dec. 14, said Yoon’s detention was “the first step toward restoring constitutional order, democracy, and realizing the rule of law.” As investigators moved through the hilly presidential compound, lawmakers from Yoon’s People Power Party held rallies on nearby streets, denouncing the effort to detain him as illegal.

The National Police Agency had met with field commanders in Seoul and nearby Gyeonggi province in recent days, planning their detention operation, with the size of the forces fueling speculation that more than a thousand officers could be deployed. The agency and police publicly warned that presidential bodyguards who obstruct the execution of the arrest warrant could be arrested. Yoon’s lawyers have claimed that the detention warrant issued by the Seoul Western District Court was invalid. They cited a law that protects locations that could be related to military secrets from searches unless agreed to by the person in charge — which would be Yoon. They also claimed that the anti-corruption agency has no legal authority to investigate allegations of rebellion.

In a video released before he was detained, Yoon said, “I am truly shocked to see illegal acts being carried out one after another, and procedures being forcibly implemented under an invalid warrant. I do not acknowledge the Senior Officials Corruption Investigation Office’s investigation. As a president responsible for the constitution and legal system of the Republic of Korea, I have decided to comply with this illegal and invalid procedure, not as an acknowledgement of it, but out of a willingness to prevent unfortunate and bloody incidents.” Supporters and critics of Yoon held opposing protests near the residence — one side vowing to protect him, the other calling for his imprisonment — while thousands of police in yellow jackets closely monitored the tense situation.

What led to all of this? Yoon declared martial law on Dec. 3 and deployed troops around the National Assembly. The martial law lasted only a few hours before lawmakers managed to break through the blockade and vote to cancel the measure. The opposition-led parliament voted to impeach him on Dec. 14, accusing him of rebellion. The Constitutional Court held its first formal hearing on the impeachment case on Tuesday, but it lasted less than five minutes because Yoon refused to attend. The next hearing is scheduled for Thursday, when the court will continue to hear the case, whether Yoon attends or not.