Yoon Suk Yeol, the first South Korean president to be detained after weeks of deliberation, finally backed down on Wednesday ( Jan 15 ) after a week-long standoff with authorities over alleged insurrection.
Yoon, 64, a strong social survivor who grew more distant half through his five-year term, has been plagued by individual scandals, an unwavering opposition, and party divisions.
His legal risk contrasts with his long history as a top prosecutor, which launched him into the limelight and sparked much of the enthusiasm that led to his success in his first elected office, the 2022 national election, in which he won.
Since narrowly winning that vote, Yoon had become entangled by constant battles that have revealed a carelessness that a former adversary described as his defining quality.
By the time Yoon abruptly declared martial law on December 3 in a shift that shocked South Koreans, he was severely harmed socially. He was given a six-month suspension from his responsibilities after being impeached by the legislature on December 14 for his attempt to use military rules.
Yoon’s social destiny lies with the Constitutional Court as his legal repercussions grow.
He is the only president of South Korea not barred from facing insurrection-related criminal investigations, including one led by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials ( CIO ).
Yoon had used his unwillingness to abide by the CIO’s “illegal imprisonment permit” to mobilize followers in the face of snowballing legal and political issues.
Yoon and his Presidential Security Service negotiated a high-stakes activity of meat with Seoul’s fortified house before he agreed to testify for questioning.
Yoon claimed in a message released as he was being detained that he was not acknowledging the improper procedure but that he was submitting to prevent killing.
Yoon had previously pledged to “fight until the end” and urged supporters to assist him in defending the nation from “anti-state causes.”