South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol detained
Investigators and police had to scale makeshift barricades set up by the impeached president’s supporters to gain access to his compound
The man, in his 60s, was severely burned and unconscious following the incident, which happened just after 8pm local time, the fire agency said. The incident reportedly occurred near the building where Yoon was being interrogated over insurrection allegations.
In a video message recorded before he was escorted to the headquarters of the anti-corruption agency at about 10.30am, Yoon lamented that the “rule of law has completely collapsed in this country” but said he was complying with the arrest warrant “to prevent any unfortunate bloodshed” in potential clashes between law enforcement officers and the presidential security service.
A motorcade of vehicles with dark-tinted windows was seen leaving the gates of the hillside residence in Seoul where Yoon had been holed up for weeks behind barbed-wire barriers and a small army of personal security.
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South Korea's Yoon Suk-yeol says he agreed to questioning to prevent bloodshed
“By arresting Yoon, investigators have removed a key barrier in their efforts to unravel the martial law fiasco,” South Korean analyst Jung Suk-koo told This Week in Asia. “This demonstrates that democracy in South Korea, while fragile, remains functional.”
