Suspended South Korean president detained

The suspended South Korean president, Yoon Suk Yeol, was detained on Wednesday for briefly imposing martial law in the country.

Police officers and staff from South Korea’s anti-corruption office escorted Yoon from his residence to the public prosecutor’s office in their second attempt to arrest the president.

The operation appeared to be peaceful despite serious security concerns.

The agency cited the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) as saying the detention warrant was executed at 10:33 am (0133 GMT).

This marks the first time in the country’s history that a sitting president has been arrested.

According to reports, investigators will seek a warrant to arrest the president formally within 48 hours.

“Although it is an illegal investigation, I decided to agree to appear at the CIO in order to prevent ugly bloodshed,” Yoon said in a recorded video message released after his arrest.

The Constitutional Court earlier on Tuesday had postponed the first hearing in the impeachment proceedings against Yoon because he was not present.

The 64-year-old, through his lawyer, had stated that he did not attend due to security concerns.

On December 3 last year, Yoon briefly declared martial law during a budget dispute with the opposition.

In mid-December, lawmakers removed him from office until further notice on charges of abuse of power and sedition with the Constitutional Court currently reviewing the decision.

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