South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol Arrested Amid Political Turmoil

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested for questioning on Wednesday, marking a dramatic turn in a prolonged political saga that erupted after his unexpected martial law decree last month.

Yoon departed his residential compound with investigators in a motorcade, a historic first for a sitting South Korean president. He faces multiple criminal investigations tied to his brief declaration of martial law, including accusations of leading an insurrection—a charge that could lead to life imprisonment or even the death penalty.

As of Wednesday evening, Yoon had declined to answer investigators' questions or allow the sessions to be recorded, according to an official from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO). Yoon was transferred from the CIO headquarters to a nearby detention center, where he is being held in solitary confinement for safety reasons, the facility told CNN.

The embattled president had been holed up in his fortified residence for weeks, surrounded by his Presidential Security Service team, evading arrest as he faced numerous probes and an impeachment trial. The CIO, collaborating with police and the defense ministry, initially attempted to detain him earlier this month but was thwarted after an hours-long standoff involving soldiers and presidential security personnel.

Following his arrest, Yoon released a video message dismissing the investigations as "illegal" and claiming that "the rule of law in this country has completely collapsed." He stated that his cooperation with investigators was to prevent violent clashes, not an acknowledgment of the investigations' legitimacy.

"As a president who must protect the constitution and legal system of the Republic of Korea, responding to these illegal and invalid procedures is not an acknowledgment of them, but a hope to prevent unsavory bloodshed," he said.

The warrant allows investigators to hold Yoon for up to 48 hours, until around 10 a.m. local time on Friday. The CIO would need to apply for an arrest warrant within that period to extend his detention.

Groups of supporters and opponents gathered at the scene on Wednesday, with videos from Reuters and CNN affiliate YTN showing demonstrators braving sub-zero temperatures. Opponents chanted "resign," "your time is up," and "take responsibility," while supporters shouted "invalid impeachment," "free ROK, hurrah!" and "we won!" Many of Yoon's backers, seen as a conservative firebrand and a staunch US ally, held signs with the phrase "Stop the steal" and waved American flags.

A YTN video showed a large sign on the back of one bus reading "Insurrection Department – Yoon Suk Yeol" in Korean, a common slogan in anti-Yoon protests since his martial law decree.

On Wednesday evening, a man in his sixties set himself on fire near the CIO office, sustaining severe burns, according to Reuters.

A court had approved a warrant to detain Yoon after he refused three summonses from investigators. His martial law declaration on December 3 was a shock, justified by Yoon as necessary to "safeguard a liberal South Korea" from "anti-state elements." The National Assembly swiftly reversed the declaration, and Yoon's order faced widespread backlash, reviving painful memories of the country's authoritarian past.

Yoon's lawyers have called the detention warrant "illegal" and have vowed to take legal action. Despite facing impeachment and an ongoing trial, Yoon remains defiant. The Constitutional Court is set to decide whether he will be formally removed or reinstated.

The political disarray has deepened, with parliament also voting to impeach Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who had been acting as president, just weeks after impeaching Yoon. Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok is now acting president. The Constitutional Court has prioritized Yoon's case and other impeachment cases against his administration, including those involving the justice minister and other senior officials.