South Korean President Arrested on Second Attempt

South Korean President Arrested on Second Attempt Anastasia Didenko

South Korean President Yoon Seok-yul has been arrested on the second attempt. An arrest warrant was issued after the head of state declared a short-term martial law.

This is reported by 24 Channel with reference to Yonhap. He is accused of abuse of power after martial law was declared.

Yoon Seok-yeol arrested

On December 3, Yoon Seok-yeol declared a state of emergency in the country, saying it was necessary to protect the country from “communist forces.”

However, the very next day, the National Assembly of South Korea voted to demand that the president rescind the decree. Yoon agreed and on December 7, in an address to the nation, he “sincerely regretted” causing public concern. He promised not to do anything like that again.

On December 14, Yoon Seok-yeol was removed from his presidential duties. At the same time, he remains the official president until the Constitutional Court makes a final decision on impeachment.

Yoon left his residence under escort and arrived at the office of the Bureau of Investigation of Corruption Among Officials. Investigative authorities have 48 hours to question him, after which they must either obtain a warrant to detain the president for up to 20 days, or release him.

The president's lawyers called the arrest warrant illegal.

Hundreds of thousands of South Koreans watched live broadcasts of another attempt to arrest Yoon. The video showed buses with police officers arriving at the residence. After local TV channels reported the arrest, minor clashes occurred between the president's supporters and the police near the residence.

Despite the fact that the majority of citizens do not approve of the declaration of martial law and support Yoon's impeachment, the political standoff motivates his supporters. The president's People's Power party is improving its position.

According to the results of a Realmeter poll released on January 13, People's Power party received 40.8% support, while the main opposition Democratic Party received 42.2%. The gap between the parties has narrowed compared to the previous week, when it was 10.8%.