President Yoon Suk-yeol has been arrested, 43 days after the martial law crisis erupted. The High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Department executed an arrest warrant for President Yoon at his residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, at 10:33 AM on the 15th.

It took approximately seven hours to secure custody. The investigation department prepared to execute the arrest warrant starting at around 3 AM. The police deployed a task force near the residence.

At around 5 AM, they presented the warrant to the Presidential Security Service. Although about 30 members of the People Power Party protested, there were no physical confrontations.

The Presidential Security Service was different from the first execution attempt on the 3rd. There was no significant obstruction as the investigation department and police broke through the first, second, and third lines of defense.

President Yoon's side proposed voluntary surrender as the warrant execution neared. However, the investigation department did not accept this. After 2 hours and 30 minutes of negotiations, the warrant was executed.

The investigation department placed President Yoon into a security vehicle. The vehicle arrived at the Government Complex Gwacheon at 10:53 AM. The suspect interrogation began immediately.

The investigation of President Yoon is led by Chief Prosecutors Lee Dae-hwan and Cha Jeong-hyeon. The list of questions for interrogation reportedly spans about 200 pages.

President Yoon is suspected of being the head of the rebellion. There are suspicions that he declared illegal martial law on the 3rd of last month to incite a revolt with the intent of disrupting state functions.

There were circumstances indicating additional martial law declarations. During the prosecution investigation, it was revealed he instructed, "Even if (the martial law) is lifted, we can declare martial law a second or third time."

He is also accused of deploying armed soldiers to the National Assembly and mobilizing more than 50,000 rounds of ammunition. There are also allegations of illegal detention of politicians and journalists.

President Yoon has denied his charges, asserting that it was a political act rather than treason since it was a warning martial law. He claimed that all martial law forces were unarmed.

He also argued that the warrant itself is invalid. President Yoon’s lawyer stated, "The investigation department does not have jurisdiction over treason cases" and mentioned, "Even if arrested, I will refuse to testify."

In a pre-recorded video message, he continued similar claims. President Yoon stated, "Unfortunately, the law has completely collapsed in this country."

He used the term 'attendance' instead of 'arrest'. He added, "Though it is an illegal investigation, I have decided to attend the investigation department to prevent a bloodshed situation."

Meanwhile, the investigation department must decide whether to file a detention warrant within 48 hours of President Yoon's arrest. It is highly likely they will file for a detention warrant after completing the investigation.

<Photo source = Presidential Office SNS>