South Korea’s impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol, has been arrested and is being questioned over his ill-fated declaration of martial law last month

South Korea’s Yoon Suk Yeol arrested after hours-long standoff at residence

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2025-01-15 14:00:08

South Korea’s impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol, has been arrested and is being questioned over his ill-fated declaration of martial law last month, anti-corruption investigators have said, bringing to an end an early-morning standoff outside his official residence in Seoul.

Officials from the corruption investigation office (CIO) said Yoon refused to talk during two and a half hours of questioning and refused to be filmed. Officials did not give further details as to why he remained silent.

Yoon can be held for questioning for up to 48 hours on the existing arrest warrant. Authorities must then decide whether to release him or seek a fresh warrant to detain him for up to 20 days.

Yoon’s supporters and those who oppose him have been protesting in the capital for days. While the president was being interrogated on Wednesday, an unidentified person set themselves on fire nearby, the national fire agency said. It added the man, in his 60s, was severely burned and unconscious after the incident.

The CIO is an independent agency launched in 2021 to investigate high-ranking officials, including presidents and their family members. But it does not have the authority to prosecute the president and must refer cases to the prosecutors’ office for further action.