ReutersYoon Suk Yeol, the country’s earliest sitting president, was detained, putting an end to a week-long conflict between his and his crew for national security.
Yoon is facing rebellion charges under his purported rebellion charge. His unsuccessful attempt to impose martial law caused the nation to squabble and resulted in his impeachment by the congress.
But, he also serves as president because a constitutional court must decide whether his impeachment is appropriate.
In the freezing cold, researchers used stairs and wirecutters to reach Yoon, whose National Security Service ( PSS) personnel had set up walls in a bid to prevent his arrest.
The CIO had previously attempted to arrest him on 3 January but they were blocked by buses and barbed wire.
However, a group of researchers arrived simply before dawn on Wednesday, this time using pliers to cut through barbed wire fences and stairs to pass bus barricades.
In order to get to the president’s house, the team, which consisted of around 1, 000 officials, scaled walls and hiked up outside trails.
After several days, officials announced that Yoon had been arrested.
The 64-year-old head stated in a three-minute video released just before his arrest that he would follow the inspection against him despite his objections.
Yoon has regularly argued that the arrest permit is not authorized by law.
He said he witnessed how government “invaded” his cabin’s safety perimeter with fire products.
” I decided to look before the CIO, even though it is an illegitimate research, in order to avoid any unpleasant bloodshed”, he said.
Yoon’s People Power Party decried his imprisonment as “illegal”, with ground chief Kweon Seong-dong describing Wednesday’s activities as “regretful”.
On the other hand, the ground leader of the opposition Democratic Party, Park Chan-dae, said Yoon’s arrest showed that” justice in South Korea is alive”.
He claimed at a group meeting that this arrest “is the first step toward restoring democratic order, politics, and the rule of law.”
The country is currently being led by Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok as acting president. He was thrust into power after the first acting president, Han Duck-soo, was also impeached by opposition majority parliament.
Authorities said on Wednesday evening that Yoon has been interrogated but has also used the right to remain silent. He has been questioned since Wednesday, 11:00 local time, and may begin a second round of questioning on Wednesday evening.
Yoon is expected to be detained overnight at the Seoul Detention Centre in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, approximately 5km ( 3 mi ) from the CIO’s office.
If a judge doesn’t matter a detention permit within 48 hours of Yoon’s arrest, but, he may be released, and free to return to the national property.
South Korea’s political crisis is still ongoing, but the arrest of a president in office is impressive.
The large crowds that occurred on Wednesday night outside Yoon’s home have highlighted strong divisions in the nation.
While on one hand, the anti-Yoon group cheered, clapped and blasted out a” thanks and celebrations” music at the news of his imprisonment- the environment on the other end was entirely unique.
A Yoon admirer had told the BBC,” We are really upset and angry… the rule of law has broken.”
The majority of South Koreans hold up the wrongdoing of Yoon’s declaration of martial law on December 3 and that he needs to be held accountable, but they cannot believe on what transparency looks like, according to Duyeon Kim, an alternative senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, who had previously told the BBC.
All this adds to the recent political uncertainty.
The conflict even pits two branches of the executive branch against one another: national security staff, who claimed they were called upon to protect the suspended president, and law enforcement officers, who have a lawful arrest warrant.