South Korean President Yeol Arrested By Anti-Corruption Investigators

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been arrested for questioning by the country’s anti-corruption agency, even though he has recused to cooperate with the investigators, according to the agency.

The arrest is the first time such an action has been taken against a sitting president – the latest chapter in a weekslong political saga that began with the embattled president’s shock martial law decree last month.

Yoon is wanted for questioning in multiple criminal investigations related to his martial law decree last month, including over accusations of leading an insurrection – a crime punishable by life imprisonment or even the death penalty.

On Thursday, after spending the night in solitary confinement at a detention center, Yoon asked to delay his questioning citing health reasons, according to the CIO. His lawyers later said he would not attend the day’s question session.

Yoon left his residential compound with investigators in a motorcade Wednesday. The embattled president had been holed up in his fortified residence for weeks surrounded by his Presidential Security Service team, evading arrest as he faces several probes and an impeachment trial.

The CIO, which is working with police and the defense ministry to investigate Yoon, first attempted to detain him earlier this month, but it failed after an hours-long showdown in which soldiers and members of the presidential security detail blocked some 80 police and investigators from approaching the presidential compound.

Following his arrest Wednesday, Yoon released a video message dismissing the investigations into him as “illegal” and said “rule of law in this country has completely collapsed.” He said he cooperated with investigators to prevent violent clashes.

“As a president who must protect the constitution and legal system of the Republic of Korea, responding to these illegal and invalid procedures is not an acknowledgment of them, but in the hopes of preventing unsavory bloodshed,” he said.

The current warrant allows investigators to hold Yoon for up to 48 hours from the time he was detained, until around 10 a.m. local time Friday. The CIO would need to apply for an arrest warrant within that period to detain him further.

While the legality of the warrant is under review with the Seoul Central District Court, the arrest period of 48 hours will be paused until a decision is made by the court.

Groups of supporters and opponents of Yoon were both at the scene Wednesday, with videos from Reuters and CNN affiliate YTN showing demonstrators pulling up in buses and gathering in the streets around Yoon’s compound, despite sub-zero conditions.

Martial Law Declaration

Yoon declared martial law in a surprise late-night address on December 3, claiming opposition lawmakers had “paralyzed state affairs” and that the move was necessary to “safeguard a liberal South Korea” from the threats posed by “anti-state elements.”

Members of the National Assembly, including some from Yoon’s own party, voted to reverse the declaration some six hours later. Yoon’s order faced fierce backlash from the public and lawmakers across the political spectrum, reviving painful memories of the country’s authoritarian past.

Yoon’s lawyers have reiterated that the detention warrant is “an illegal, invalid warrant” and have vowed to take legal action against its execution. The suspended president’s backers have also insisted that the actions being taken against him are contrary to South Korean law.

Yoon has remained defiant in the face of the investigations and an impeachment trial underway by one of the country’s highest courts.

CNN/Ejiofor Ezeifeoma