South Korea’s impeached president detained in first for country – National

South Korea president convicted, Yoon Suk Yeolwas detained in a large law enforcement operation on the presidential compound Wednesday, defiantly insisting on the anti-corruption agency did not have the authority to investigate his actions, but saying that he complied to avoid violence.

Yoon, the country’s first sitting president to be arrested, now faces the prospect of a lengthy prison term on possible sedition charges.

In a video message recorded shortly before he was escorted to the headquarters of the anti-corruption agency, Yoon lamented that “the rule of law in this country has completely collapsed.”

Yoon had been holed up in the Hannam-dong residence in the capital, Seoul, for weeks as he vowed to “fight to the end” 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 that is deploying its legislative majority to destroy his agenda.

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials said Yoon about five hours after investigators arrived at the presidential compound and about three hours after they successfully entered the residence, in their second attempt to detain him for his imposition of martial law.

A series of black SUVs, some equipped with sirens, were seen leaving the presidential palace with a police escort. Yoon was later seen getting out of a car after arriving at the agency’s office in the nearby city of Gwacheon.

Hundreds of Yoon’s conservative supporters gathered near the anti-corruption agency office as he underwent questioning, shouting slogans and holding signs that read: “We will fight alongside President Yoon Suk Yeol.”

Also on Wednesday, an unidentified man was in life-threatening condition after an apparent self-immolation near the scene, according to the Gyeonggi Provincial Fire Department. After questioning, Yoon was expected to be sent to a detention center in Uiwang, near Seoul.

Yoon could be detained for weeks, possibly even months or longer.

The anti-corruption agency, which is leading a joint investigation with the police and military into whether Yoon’s martial law declaration amounted to attempted rebellion, has 48 hours to apply for a court order for his formal arrest.

If it fails, Yoon will be released. If Yoon is formally arrested, investigators could extend his detention for up to 20 days before handing the case over to public prosecutors for indictment.

If prosecutors charge Yoon with rebellion and abuse of power charges, which are the charges investigated by investigators, he could potentially remain in custody until the first court ruling, which is typically made within six months, said Park Sung-bae, a lawyer specializing in criminal law.

Under South Korean law, the leader of an insurgency can face the death penalty or life imprisonment, if convicted.

“If the first court gives a prison sentence, the detention just continues,” Park said. “For example, if they sentence him to life imprisonment, he will continue to serve that sentence straight away.”

Yoon’s defense minister, police chief and several top military commanders had already been arrested for their roles in the enforcement of combat.

The arrest warrant for Yoon, issued by the Seoul Western District Court, said there were substantial grounds to suspect that he committed crimes as a “leader of an insurgency.”

The anti-corruption agency told reporters that, during several hours of questioning through Wednesday night, Yoon exercised his right to remain silent.

Yoon’s presidential powers were suspended when Parliament impeached him on December 14. The impeachment case now lies with the Constitutional Court, which could formally remove Yoon from office or refuse the case and reinstate him.

In a separate message posted on his Facebook account after he was detained, Yoon said that “martial law is not a crime,” and said his statement was necessary to raise awareness about an opposition that “exercised legislative dictatorship through laws and budgets to block” and “crippling” state affairs. He denied the insurgency’s accusations, describing his accusation as a “fraud”.

When they began the detention operation in the early morning, the anti-corruption investigators and police officers staged an hour-long standoff at the gate of the compound with presidential security forces, but otherwise encountered no meaningful resistance.

Police officers were seen using wire cutters to remove the barbed wire placed by the presidential security service at the perimeter of the compound to block its entrance. Some police officers used ladders to climb over rows of buses blocking the entrance to the compound, and then the investigators began to move up the hilly compound. The investigators and police later arrived in front of a metal gate with a golden presidential sign that is 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, before Yoon was driven away.

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South Korea’s acting leader, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, released a statement early Wednesday calling on law enforcement and the Presidential Security Service to ensure there were no “physical clashes.”

After Yoon’s detention, Choi met with diplomats from the Group of Seven nations, including the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom and Germany, as well as the representative of the European Union, to assure them that the government was functioning with stability.

Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the liberal opposition Democratic Party, which led the legislative campaign to impeach Yoon, said Yoon’s detention was the “first step toward restoring constitutional order, democracy and realizing the rule of law. “

Lawmakers from Yoon’s People Power Party condemned the detention as illegal.

The National Police Bureau met with field commanders in Seoul and nearby Gyeonggi province in recent days to plan their efforts to arrest Yoon, and the size of that force fueled speculation that more than 1,000 officers could be deployed. The agency and the police had openly warned that presidential bodyguards who obstruct the execution of the order could be arrested.

Yoon’s lawyers have said the arrest warrant issued by the Seoul Western District Court was invalid. They cited a law that protects locations that may be linked to military secrets from searching without the consent of the person responsible – which would be Yoon. They also said the anti-corruption agency had no legal authority to investigate allegations of rebellion.

“I am truly appalled to see illegalities upon illegalities being carried out and proceedings being forcefully carried out under an invalid warrant,” Yoon said in the video.

“I do not recognize the investigation by the Corruption Investigation Bureau for High Officials. As the President, who is responsible for upholding the Constitution and the legal system of the Republic of Korea, my decision to comply with such illegal and invalid proceedings not an acknowledgment of them, but rather a willingness to avoid unfortunate and bloody incidents.

Yoon’s supporters and critics have held competing protests near the residence — one side vowing to protect him, the other calling for his jail sentence — while thousands of yellow-jacketed police closely monitored the tense situation.

Some Yoon supporters reacted with displeasure as they watched the motorcade proceed to Gwacheon. A few were removed by police officers after lying on the road in protest.

Yoon declared martial law and deployed troops around the National Assembly on December 3. It only took hours for lawmakers to get through the blockade and vote to lift the measure. The opposition-led assembly voted to impeach him on December 14 on sedition charges.

The Constitutional Court held its first formal hearing on the impeachment case on Tuesday, but the session lasted less than five minutes because Yoon refused to attend. The next session is for Thursday.