The South Korean president deposed under impeachment for the brief imposition of martial law on December 3 does not speak in the interrogations held by the anti-corruption agency (CIO)
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has been arrested. This was reported by Seoul’s anti-corruption agency (CIO), thus making the former national chief prosecutor the first president in office – albeit suspended from his duties due to the Impeachment proceedings underway – in the history of South Korea to end up in handcuffs. Yoon, under impeachment over the brief imposition of martial law on December 3, refused to testify in interrogations at the Anti-Corruption Agency (CIO) immediately after being arrested by police. This was reported by Yonhap.
During the night, agents entered Yoon’s residence after the deposed president had finally agreed to present himself to the authorities for questioning.
The investigators, after long negotiations, succeeded in their second attempt to arrest Yoon at his residence: the arrest warrant “was executed at 10:33” (2:33 in Italy), the Office of Criminal Investigation reported. corruption investigation for high-ranking officials (CIO), the Seoul anti-corruption, excluding any possibility of voluntary appearance. The live TV footage also broadcast in streaming showed a convoy of vehiclesbetween buses and police cars, as he left the presidential residence complex in the center of the South Korean capital to head towards the IOC headquarters in Gwacheon, south of Seoul.
Furthermore, the anti-corruption agency did not report any physical confrontation unlike what happened in the first arrest attempt on January 3, amid the mobilization of around 3,000 officers, part of an operation that took into account possible clashes between Yoon’s opponents and supporters. The police, among other things, used force to push through the crowd that formed in front of the presidential residence and to remove the barricades that transformed the residence into a sort of bunker in recent days, complete with barbed wire placed on the walls. The IOC’s previous arrest attempt failed after a six-hour standoff with presidential security guards amid tensions and fears of a potential armed conflict.
Yoon Suk-yeol, under impeachment for subversion and abuse of office, had said she agreed and decided to submit to anti-corruption interrogations over the brief imposition of martial law on Dec. 3 in order to avoid “bloodshed.” Despite “the numerous illegalities alleged in the investigation, I decided to respond to the Corruption Investigation Bureau,” Yoon said in a pre-recorded video message, reiterating that he did not accept “the legality of the investigation” and specifying that he was complying ” to prevent any unfortunate bloodshed.”
South Korea: Tokyo views Yoon developments with concern
The government in Tokyo is monitoring developments in South Korea with “particular and grave” concern, following the detention of President Yoon Suk-Yyeol for declaring martial law last December. Japanese Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said this during a press conference, adding that “the importance of bilateral relations remains unchanged despite the latest developments, and Japan will continue to communicate closely with its neighbor.”
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba himself, who took office last October, had previously expressed hope that the same momentum that has served to improve ties since Yoon took over in 2022 can be maintained. Both nations are allies of the United States and the three-way cooperation has taken on greater importance in the face of what is perceived by Washington as China’s feared expansionism in the Asia Pacific region, in addition to North Korea’s nuclear and missile development.
Earlier this week, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and his South Korean counterpart, Cho Tae Yul, stressed the importance of bilateral ties despite the uncertainty caused by Yoon’s impeachment last month. 2025 marks the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Tokyo and Seoul, which had long been fraught with difficulties due to the historical interpretation deriving from Japan’s colonial rule on the Korean peninsula between 1910 and 1945.
