NEWS ALERT: South Korea’s impeached President Yoon detained in massive law-enforcement effort [Videos]

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From the New York Times: President Yoon Suk Yeol became the first sitting South Korean leader to be detained for questioning on criminal charges on Wednesday, striking a deal with massed law enforcement officials and ending a weekslong standoff.

Mr. Yoon’s security guards successfully blocked the investigators from detaining him on Jan. 3, when they made their first attempt to serve a court-issued detention warrant. Since then, the country has been gripped by fears that a violent clash might occur if both sides refused to back down.

But when the investigators returned on Wednesday with far more police officers, some of them carrying ladders to scale barricades, Mr. Yoon’s bodyguards put up no obvious resistance.

Mr. Yoon will now face questioning from officials investigating his declaration of martial law on Dec. 3. The investigators can now question him for 48 hours and then could apply for a separate court warrant to formally arrest him.

Yoon, who is seen as a conservative, has declared the investigation and warrant to detain him illegal. Meanwhile, the opposition-led National Assembly overrode Yoon’s martial law decree last month, and has impeached him, suspending his presidential powers, and accused him of committing an insurrection.

Since his impeachment on December 14, Yoon has been holed up in the presidential compound, and his security guards had so far prevented the investigators from entering. A standoff had occurred on January 3, but the investigators were outnumbered and eventually retreated. However, Wednesday morning, Yoon said in a video that he agreed to be detained to avoid a “bloody” clash between police and his own bodyguards.

Yoon has vowed to “fight to the end” to return to office as president.

A South Korean lawyer released the following statement in support of Yoon, warning that communism could soon take over:

The Republic of Korea is on the verge of communization as pro-China factions gain influence after the National Assembly was seized through a fraudulent election allegedly influenced by China, and the President of South Korea was arrested based on an illegal arrest warrant modeled after the Chinese public security system.

If the people of Korea do not awaken, the nation will fall into communism and collapse in an instant. I earnestly hope that the future of free Korea does not become like the present-day Hong Kong.

A large group of protesters were seen gathered near the presidential residence earlier, reportedly in an attempt to stop the officers from detaining Yoon. They are seen waving a large flag that says, in English, “Stop The Steal.”

The South Korean lawyer released a video statement from Yoon just prior to him being detained, along with an English translation. It reads:

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all those who have supported me and shown me such strong encouragement.

Unfortunately, the rule of law in this country has completely collapsed. We have witnessed situations where warrants are issued by agencies without investigative authority, and courts without the authority to review warrants issuing arrest and search warrants. Moreover, law enforcement agencies have been issuing fraudulent official documents to deceive the public. These illegal actions—illegal actions upon illegal actions—have been carried out through invalid warrants, coercing procedures, and it is truly appalling to witness.

Even though I have been subjected to such unfair treatment, I sincerely hope that no citizen will ever face such unlawful actions in the future, should they ever find themselves involved in a criminal case.

Today, seeing individuals breach security zones using firefighting equipment, I decided to comply with the summons to appear before the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) in order to prevent an unfortunate, bloody incident, even though it is an illegal investigation.

However, this decision should not be construed as my recognition of the CIO’s investigation. As the President, whose duty it is to protect the Constitution and legal system of the Republic of Korea, my compliance with these illegal and invalid procedures is not an acknowledgment of their legitimacy. It is solely to avoid an unfortunate violent situation.

I have been inspired by the way our citizens, particularly our youth, have come to truly reawaken the importance of liberal democracy and shown great passion for it. While the law has collapsed and we are in dark times, I firmly believe that the future of this country holds great hope.

The standoff reportedly involved around 2,000 police officers against 200 soldiers protecting Yoon.

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