South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol Arrested Over Martial Law Imposition
In an unprecedented move, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol was arrested at his presidential residence on Wednesday, becoming the country’s first sitting president to be taken into custody over his short-lived imposition of martial law.
A joint investigation unit, comprising the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), the National Office of Investigation (NOI), and the defense ministry’s investigative headquarters, announced that President Yoon was arrested at 10:33 a.m. local time (0133 GMT).
Television footage captured vehicles transporting the arrested president as they departed the residence in central Seoul. President Yoon was escorted to the CIO office in Gwacheon, just south of Seoul, for questioning before being transferred to the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, approximately 5 kilometers away.
The CIO now faces a 48-hour deadline to decide whether to seek a warrant to detain President Yoon for up to 20 days for further questioning or to release him. This decision is critical and could significantly impact the nation’s political landscape amid ongoing investigations into the martial law declaration.
The arrest has sent shockwaves throughout South Korea, marking a historic and tumultuous moment in the nation’s modern history. As the first incumbent president to be arrested, President Yoon’s detention has drawn intense attention from both domestic and international communities, all keenly watching how this unprecedented situation unfolds.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
