South Korean president arrested after weeks-long standoff

Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested Wednesday after a dramatic pre-dawn raid on his residential compound, marking the first time in South Korean history that a sitting president has been taken into custody.

The arrest followed a tense five-hour standoff between hundreds of police officers and Yoon’s loyal Presidential Security Service members, who had transformed his residence into a fortified compound with barbed wire and barricades in recent weeks.

Yoon faces charges of insurrection stemming from his December 3 attempt to impose martial law, which lasted just six hours before being overturned by parliament. If convicted, he could face life imprisonment or the death penalty.

“I decided to respond to the Corruption Investigation Office,” Yoon said in a pre-recorded video message released after his arrest. While maintaining that he did not accept the legitimacy of the investigation, he said he complied “to prevent any unfortunate bloodshed.”

The arrest caps a stunning fall for the former prosecutor-turned-president, who won the 2022 election as the conservative People Power Party candidate.

His declaration of martial law last month, which included deploying troops to parliament, shocked a nation proud of its democratic transition from decades of military rule.

Opposition party celebrates the arrest as ‘first step’ toward restoration

The Constitutional Court opened Yoon’s impeachment trial on Tuesday, though he declined to attend the initial hearing. If the court upholds parliament’s impeachment vote, he will be formally removed from office, and new elections must be held within 60 days.

Opposition Democratic Party officials celebrated the arrest, with a senior party member calling it “the first step” toward restoring constitutional order. Parliament Speaker Woo Won-Shik urged focus on “stabilizing state affairs and restoring people’s livelihoods.”

Earlier attempts to arrest Yoon had failed, including a January 3 effort that ended in a six-hour standoff. This time, investigators scaled perimeter walls and hiked back trails to reach the main building before dawn.

Outside the compound, Yoon’s supporters waved South Korean and American flags while chanting “illegal warrant!” Some lay on the ground to block access to the main gate.

The ruling People Power Party condemned the arrest. “History will inevitably record the fact that the CIO and the police executed an unjust and illegal warrant,” said PPP floor leader Kweon Seong-dong.

Investigators said Yoon exercised his right to remain silent during questioning and refused to be filmed.

He will spend the night at a detention center, where he can be held for up to 48 hours unless authorities secure another warrant.