SEOUL, South Korea – Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol was arrested and questioned by authorities on Wednesday, January 15, in relation to a felony riot investigation, saying he was solely cooperating with what he known as an unlawful probe to keep away from violence.
His arrest, the primary ever for an incumbent South Korean president, is the newest head-spinning improvement for one in all Asia’s most vibrant democracies despite the fact that the nation has a historical past of prosecuting and imprisoning former leaders.
Since lawmakers voted to impeach him and take away him from duties after his short-lived December 3 declaration of martial regulation, Yoon has been holed up at his hillside residence, guarded by a small military of presidential safety that blocked a earlier arrest try.
He agreed to return in for questioning after greater than 3,000 law enforcement officials decided to arrest him marched on his residence within the early hours of Wednesday.
“I made a decision to answer the CIO’s investigation — regardless of it being an unlawful investigation — to stop unsavory bloodshed,” Yoon stated in a press release, referring to the Corruption Investigation Workplace for Excessive-ranking Officers (CIO) that’s heading the felony probe.
A prosecutor accompanied Yoon in his automobile from his house within the upscale space referred to as Seoul’s Beverly Hills to the austere CIO places of work, the place he slipped in by means of a again entrance, avoiding media.
Authorities now have 48 hours to query Yoon after which they have to search a warrant to detain him for as much as 20 days or launch him.
Nonetheless, Yoon is refusing to speak and has not agreed to have interviews with investigators recorded on video, a CIO official stated. The CIO stated it had no info on why Yoon was refusing to speak.
The questioning will proceed after Yoon finishes a dinner of bean paste soup, the CIO official stated, although late night time questioning has not been determined.
Yoon’s legal professionals have stated the arrest warrant is illegitimate as a result of it was issued by a courtroom within the fallacious jurisdiction and the group set as much as examine him had no authorized mandate to take action. A warrant to go looking Yoon at his residence, a replica of which was seen by Reuters, referred to Yoon as “ringleader of riot.”
Presidential guards had been stationed on the CIO flooring the place Yoon is being questioned, stated a CIO official, however he’ll seemingly be held at the Seoul Detention Heart, the place different high-profile figures together with former President Park Geun-hye and Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee have additionally frolicked.
Critical curiosity
Yoon’s declaration of martial regulation shocked South Koreans, rattled Asia’s fourth largest financial system and ushered in an unprecedented interval of political turmoil in one in all Washington’s key safety companions within the area. Lawmakers voted to question him shortly on December 14.
Separate to the felony investigation, the Constitutional Courtroom is deliberating whether or not to uphold his impeachment by parliament and completely take away him from workplace or restore his presidential powers.
America stays dedicated to working with the federal government in Seoul and appreciates all its efforts and residents “to behave in accordance with the Structure”, a spokesperson for the White Home Nationwide Safety Council stated in assertion.
The highest authorities spokesperson in neighbouring Japan, Yoshimasa Hayashi, instructed a day by day information briefing that Tokyo was following developments in South Korea “with specific and severe curiosity”.
The most recent arrest try that started earlier than daybreak gripped the nation with tons of of 1000’s glued to stay feeds displaying bus a great deal of police arriving close to the presidential residence, pushing previous Yoon supporters after which strolling in direction of the gates of the compound carrying ladders and wire cutters.
As native information broadcasters reported that Yoon’s detention was imminent, some minor scuffles broke out between pro-Yoon protesters and police close to the residence, in line with a Reuters witness on the scene.
Throngs of protesters, who additionally gathered outdoors the CIO places of work, waved South Korean and American flags and held posters bearing “Cease the Steal” slogans referring to Yoon’s unsubstantiated claims of election fraud – one of many causes he gave to justify his short-lived martial regulation declaration.
Referred to as silly
In a hand-written letter posted to his Fb web page, Yoon stated he was typically known as silly as a result of he didn’t compromise.
He claimed there was an excessive amount of proof of election fraud for it to be dismissed as a conspiracy principle, even whereas acknowledging “there’s inadequate proof to punish a particular particular person for it”.
The Nationwide Election Fee, which was one of many targets of troops deployed by Yoon throughout the martial regulation, has denied allegations of election fraud, saying the election system is clear and above board with loads of oversight.
A few of Yoon’s supporters have drawn parallels together with his plight and that of US President-elect Donald Trump, who additionally claimed voter fraud contributed to his election defeat in 2020 however recovered to make a surprising political comeback.
“It is extremely unhappy to see our nation falling aside,” stated Kim Woo-sub, a 70-year-old retiree protesting towards Yoon’s arrest outdoors his residence on Wednesday.
“I nonetheless have excessive expectations for Trump to help our president. Election fraud is one thing they’ve in frequent but additionally the US wants South Korea to struggle China,” he stated.
Regardless of polls displaying a majority of South Koreans disapprove of Yoon’s martial regulation declaration and help his impeachment, the political standoff has given oxygen to his supporters and his Folks Energy Social gathering (PPP) has seen a revival in current weeks.
Help for the PPP stood at 40.8% within the newest Realmeter ballot launched on Monday, whereas the primary opposition Democratic Social gathering’s help stood at 42.2%, inside a margin of error and down from a niche of 10.8% from final week, the ballot stated. – Rappler.com
