South Korean politics is at an unprecedented moment with the arrest this Wednesday of ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol, who faces charges of insurrection related to his brief imposition of martial law on December 3. After being transported by convoy from the presidential residence, Yoon was interrogated for two and a half hours at the headquarters of the Corruption Investigation Office of Senior Officials (CIO), located south of Seoul. .
According to CIO, Yoon has refused to testify since the interrogation began at 11 am, in a session led by Lee Jae-seung, vice head of the office, and with the presence of the former president’s legal representatives. Furthermore, the interrogation was not recorded on video due to Yoon’s own opposition, a decision that the CIO described as part of its right of defense.
Yoon’s arrest comes after several frustrated attempts by authorities to take him into custody, including a confrontation with his presidential security team earlier this month. A court in Seoul had issued the arrest warrant on December 31, after Yoon ignored three subpoenas from the CIO-led joint investigation team, which includes personnel from the police and the Ministry of Defense.
Before his arrest, Yoon posted a video message in which he declared that he had decided to cooperate to avoid bloodshed, but stressed that this does not imply recognizing the legitimacy of the investigation against him. In his message, he harshly criticized the rule of law in the country, calling it collapsed, and stated that the orders issued by the CIO lack legal validity due to its alleged lack of investigative authority.
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The arrest has further polarized the political environment. The ruling People’s Power Party (PPP) denounced the action as “unfair” and “abnormal.” Its interim leader, Kwon Young Se, vowed that the party will seek to hold the CIO accountable for what he called an illegal execution of the order. By contrast, Democratic Party opposition leader Park Chan Dae hailed the detention as the first step toward restoring democracy and constitutional order in South Korea, urging that Yoon be formally detained and subjected to a thorough investigation. .
Martial law, which Yoon imposed and which only lasted six hours before being revoked by Parliament, has been the focus of the insurrection investigation, the only charge for which sitting South Korean presidents are not immune from prosecution. According to the indictment, the declaration of martial law violated constitutional requirements and sought to consolidate its power amid growing political challenges.
Parliament passed an impeachment motion against Yoon on December 14, suspending his presidential authority. Since then, the Constitutional Court has begun the process to decide whether to ratify the dismissal or reinstate him in office. The court’s first formal hearing, held Tuesday, lasted just four minutes due to the absence of Yoon, who cited security concerns through his legal team.
The CIO now has 48 hours from the time of the arrest to decide whether to request an official arrest warrant for Yoon. If issued, the former president will remain in custody while the court evaluates his case.
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