South Korean President Arrested After Authorities Raid His Home
Seoul, MINA – South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has been arrested for failing to impose a military emergency, after hundreds of anti-corruption investigators and police raided his residence to end a weeks-long standoff.
According to TRT World, hundreds of police officers and investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office arrived at the president’s residence before dawn on Wednesday (January 15), some scaling the boundary walls and hiking along footpaths to reach the main building.
This was the second attempt to arrest Yoon.
The first attempt on January 3 had failed after a standoff lasting several hours with members of Yoon’s Presidential Security Service (PSS), who refused to yield when investigators tried to execute their warrant.
Yoon’s lawyer announced on Wednesday morning that the President had agreed to speak with investigators and decided to leave his residence to prevent a “serious incident.”
“President Yoon has decided to attend the Corruption Investigation Office today,” Seok Dong-hyeon stated on Facebook, adding that Yoon would also deliver a speech.
However, shortly after, investigators announced that Yoon had been arrested.
“The Joint Investigation Headquarters issued an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk-yeol today (January 15) at 10:33 AM (0130 GMT),” they said in a statement. (T/RE1/P2)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)