South Korean investigators announced on Wednesday that they had arrested President Yoon Suk Yeol over his attempt to impose martial law bid early last month after a second police raid on the heavily fortified presidential residence.
They later said he exercised “his right to remain silent” during questioning.
Yoon Suk became the first president in the history of the country to be jailed.
Yoon, who faces charges of insurrection over his short-lived effort to impose martial law last month, said he would comply with investigators to avoid “bloodshed”.
Yoon, a former prosecutor who led the conservative People Power Party (PPP) to victory in the 2022 elections, faces the death penalty or life in prison if convicted of insurrection.
He had been attempting to avoid arrest for weeks by remaining in his residential compound, guarded by officers of the Presidential Security Service (PSS) who had remained loyal to him.
His guards had erected barbed wire and barricades around the house, transforming it into a “fortress” as described by the opposition.
Yoon, who had vowed to “fight to the end”, managed to thwart a first arrest attempt on January 3 following a tense hours-long impasse between the guards and anti-graft investigators working with police.
But before dawn on Wednesday, hundreds of police officers and investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office again surrounded the residence, some scaling perimeter walls and hiking up back trails to reach the main building.
After a standoff of about five hours, authorities announced Yoon had been arrested and the impeached leader released a pre-recorded video message.
“I decided to respond to the Corruption Investigation Office,” Yoon said in the message, adding that he did not accept the legality of the investigation but was complying “to prevent any unfortunate bloodshed”.
Yoon left his residence in a convoy and was taken to the offices of the Corruption Investigation Office.
Investigators began questioning Yoon shortly after his arrest but they said he had exercised “his right to remain silent”.
His supporters were heard chanting “illegal warrant!” while waving glow sticks and South Korean and American flags. Some lay on the ground outside the residential compound’s main gate.
Yoon shocked the nation late on December 3 when he declared martial law, claiming he needed to safeguard South Korea “from the threats posed by North Korea’s communist forces and eliminate anti-state elements”.
He deployed troops to parliament but lawmakers defied them and voted against martial law. Yoon revoked martial law after just six hours.
Yoon can be held for up to 48 hours following Wednesday’s arrest.
Investigators would need to apply for another arrest warrant to keep him in custody.
Yoon’s legal team had repeatedly decried the warrant as illegal.
His ruling party also said his arrest was unlawful.
In a parallel probe, the Constitutional Court on Tuesday launched a trial to rule on parliament’s impeachment of Yoon.
If the court endorses the impeachment, Yoon will finally lose the presidency and fresh elections will have to be held within 60 days.
The trial was adjourned on Tuesday after only a very brief hearing as Yoon declined to attend, but proceedings could last for months.
South Korea’s opposition Democratic Party celebrated Yoon’s detention, with a top official calling it “the first step” to restoring constitutional and legal order after weeks of turmoil.
