In South Korea, investigators have arrested the temporarily suspended but still acting president Yoon Suk-yeol for charges of rebellion, as reported by Tengrinews.kz citing Yonhap.
"The authorities have arrested President Yoon Suk-yeol on charges of leading a rebellion," the agency's statement reads.
Early on Wednesday, January 15, investigators arrived at the president's residence to carry out the arrest but faced resistance from the presidential security service. After approximately 2.5 hours and the use of ladders, police and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO) managed to breach the residence.
During the operation, they encountered several barricades, each guarded by a line of vehicles and buses from the president's security. Around 200 police officers and 40 investigators from the CIO participated in the operation.
It was later revealed that Yoon Suk-yeol decided to voluntarily appear for questioning to prevent any tragic events. Additionally, the military units, which were also guarding Yoon Suk-yeol's residence, agreed not to obstruct the investigators while executing the arrest warrant.
On January 3, South Korean investigators had already attempted to execute an arrest warrant for the temporarily suspended president but were forced to retreat after more than five hours of confrontation with the presidential security. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials explained to journalists that they did not proceed with the arrest due to concerns for the safety of those present at the scene.
Yoon Suk-yeol is accused of rebellion and abuse of power for declaring a state of martial law in the country and deploying troops to the parliament to prevent lawmakers from voting to repeal that declaration.