“South Korea’s Political Turmoil: Impeached President Detained as Investigators Launch Daring Search”

Yoon Suk Yeol has become the first incumbent president of South Korea to face arrest after investigators overcame barriers and cut through barbed wire to take him into custody.

Currently 64 years old, Yoon is under investigation on charges of insurrection due to a failed martial law decree on December 3 that led the nation into chaos.

He has additionally been impeached by the legislature and suspended but will only be ousted from office if the Constitutional Court affirms the impeachment.

Nevertheless, Yoon’s bold arrest on Wednesday concludes a weeks-long standoff between investigators and his presidential security personnel.

Prior attempts by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) to apprehend him on January 3 ended in failure after a six-hour confrontation with his security team.

However, just before dawn on Wednesday, a significantly larger contingent of investigators and law enforcement arrived at his residence in the heart of Seoul, equipped with ladders to navigate over buses obstructing the entrance and bolt cutters to dismantle barbed wire.

Other members of the arrest team, numbering around 1,000, scaled walls and traversed nearby paths to reach the presidential residence.

After several hours, officials declared that Yoon had been arrested.

In a brief video released shortly before his arrest, the 64-year-old leader stated he would assist the investigators while reiterating previous assertions that the warrant was not legally sound.

“I opted to present myself before the CIO, despite this being an unlawful investigation, to avert any unpleasant bloodshed,” he remarked, claiming he observed officials “invade” the security perimeter of his home with firefighting apparatus.

On Wednesday afternoon, investigators noted that Yoon had remained tight-lipped during questioning.

Yoon’s attorneys have asserted that his arrest was “unlawful” as the CIO, functioning as an anti-corruption office, lacks the authority to probe the insurrection charges against Yoon. They also argue that the warrant was issued under the incorrect jurisdiction.

Later, the same court dismissed an injunction submitted by President Yoon to nullify the arrest warrant, which the authorities continue to assert is legitimate.

The Democratic Party’s floor leader, Park Chan-dae, stated that Wednesday’s arrest signifies that “justice in South Korea is vibrant”.

This arrest “marks the initial move towards reinstating constitutional order, democracy, and the rule of law,” he expressed during a party gathering.

Currently, the nation is being governed by Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok as the acting president. He assumed command after the first acting president, Han Duck-soo, was also impeached by the legislature, where the opposition possesses a substantial majority.

The clock is now ticking for investigators.

According to the existing warrant, they have up to 48 hours from the time of arrest to hold Yoon, after which a new warrant is required to continue detaining him while further investigations are conducted.

If a new warrant is issued, they can keep him for an additional 20 days before he must be brought to trial. Without a new warrant, Yoon must be set free.

He is anticipated to be held at the Seoul Detention Centre located in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, roughly 5km (3 miles) from the CIO’s office.

Supporters of Yoon have continued to demonstrate against the arrest outside the investigation office, where he was taken for questioning.

They had assembled outside his residence since prior to…dawn on Wednesday, alongside those against him.

The anti-Yoon faction erupted with a “congratulations and celebrations” tune when the news of his arrest broke, jubilantly applauding what they perceive as a triumph for law enforcement.

Conversely, Yoon’s adherents were disheartened. “We are very upset and furious. The rule of law has collapsed,” one supporter expressed to the BBC.

The divergent scenes between these two groups on Wednesday highlight the growing division within the nation, which has been characterized by stark splits between conservatives and progressives.

This political drama has also positioned two branches of executive power against one another: law enforcement agents armed with a legal arrest warrant and presidential security personnel, who claim they are compelled to safeguard the suspended leader.

As the former leader endures questioning regarding the allegations, the country remains enveloped in uncertainty, with no apparent solution to the escalating political chasm.

South Korea has experienced political upheaval since Yoon’s shocking yet brief declaration of martial law on December 3, during which many MPs scaled fences and breached barricades to access the National Assembly to overturn the order.

The president claimed he was defending the nation against “anti-state” forces friendly to North Korea, but it quickly became evident that he was motivated by his own political challenges.

Yoon has been a merely symbolic president ever since the opposition achieved a landslide victory in the general elections last April – his administration has been relegated to vetoing proposals put forward by the opposition.

An extraordinary few weeks ensued, with parliament voting to impeach Yoon, his ensuing suspension, and authorities initiating a criminal investigation regarding the attempt.

Several of the nation’s prominent leaders – including former defense minister Kim Yong-hyun, who allegedly proposed the martial law declaration – and Yoon’s political aides have since resigned.

In recent weeks, tens of thousands of South Koreans have braved frigid temperatures and flooded the streets, with some expressing support for Yoon while others demand his ousting.

Throughout this period, Yoon has remained secluded in his residence, refusing to heed multiple summonses to appear for questioning, a defiant position that ultimately led to his arrest.

Independently, the Constitutional Court has initiated a trial to determine whether he should be permanently ousted from his position, with experts suggesting a ruling could come as soon as February. The next hearing is scheduled for Thursday.

Additional reporting by Rachel Lee in Seoul