Seoul: South Korean authorities began questioning President Yoon Suk-yeol on Wednesday after arresting him on charges of insurgency following his brief declaration of martial law. The arrest resolved a dispute between investigators and Yoon’s presidential security team, which had averted his imprisonment earlier this month. The Corruption Investigation Office claimed that it had “executed an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk-yeol today at 10:33 am,” following which he was observed coming out of the automobile wearing a white shirt and suit and slipping via the CIO’s back entrance for high-ranking officials.
“I decided to answer to the CIO’s investigations in order to prevent unsavoury bloodshed,” Yoon said in a pre-recorded video statement published by his lawyers after being arrested. “That does not mean I recognise the CIO’s investigation as legitimate.” The CIO is spearheading a joint investigation, together with military investigators and police, into claims against Yoon. He is accused with insurrection and will be imprisoned at the Seoul Detention Centre. Authorities now have 48 hours to question the president and get a warrant to imprison him for up to twenty days.
The investigation overlaps with Yoon’s impeachment trial before the Constitutional Court. The trial began on Tuesday, but was delayed minutes later due to Yoon’s absence. The trial followed the National Assembly’s vote on Dec. 14 to impeach Yoon for declaring martial law on Dec. 3, a decision that legislators quickly reversed hours later.
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