South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was detained by police on Wednesday, marking a historic first for a sitting leader in the country, according to Yonhap news agency. Investigators took the impeached president into custody at his residence for questioning related to his brief imposition of martial law on December 3.
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) executed a detention warrant at 10:33 a.m. (0133 GMT), following a previous failed attempt on January 3 when agents from the Presidential Security Service blocked investigators from entering his residence.
The detention came after a court extended the arrest warrant, which was initially set to expire on January 21. Around 3,000 police officers were deployed in the second attempt to secure access to Yoon’s compound.
This marks the first time in South Korea’s history that a sitting president faces an arrest warrant and a travel ban. Yoon’s detention follows a growing investigation into his controversial actions regarding the declaration of martial law in December.
