South Korea arrests impeached President Yoon in huge police effort


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South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested on Wednesday in a large police operation, with the embattled leader defiantly insisting an investigation into him is illegal and he only complied to prevent violence.

His arrest, the first for an incumbent president, is the latest episode of turmoil for one of Asia's most vibrant democracies, which has a history of prosecuting and imprisoning former leaders.

In a video message recorded before he was escorted to the headquarters of South Korea's anti-corruption agency, Mr Yoon said the “rule of law has completely collapsed in this country”.

The operation to arrest Mr Yoon involved about 3,000 police officers after he had been holed up for weeks at his residence in Seoul while vowing to “fight to the end” against efforts to oust him. He had been guarded by a small army of personal security that blocked a previous arrest attempt.

The saga began on December 3 when Mr Yoon declared martial law for the first time in 44 years, saying it was needed to tackle “anti-state” opposition using their legislative majority to thwart his political agenda. He deployed troops around the National Assembly but legislators managed to get through the blockade and vote to lift the measure.

His declaration shocked South Koreans, rattled Asia's fourth largest economy and started an unprecedented period of political turmoil.

Parliament impeached Mr Yoon on December 14 over the martial law attempt and his presidential powers were suspended. The Constitutional Court is deliberating on whether to uphold that impeachment and permanently remove him from office or restore his powers.

Wednesday's arrest attempt began before dawn, with hundreds of thousands of South Koreans watching live feeds showing bus loads of police arriving near the presidential residence, pushing past Mr Yoon's supporters and walking towards the gates carrying ladders and wire cutters.

Anti-corruption investigators and police officers engaged in an hours-long standoff at the compound’s gate with presidential security forces but otherwise encountered no meaningful resistance.

Some police officers used ladders to climb over rows of buses placed by the presidential security service near the compound’s entrance. Despite a court warrant for Mr Yoon’s detention, the presidential security service had insisted it was obligated to protect him.

Anti-graft officials said Mr Yoon was brought into custody about five hours after investigators arrived at the presidential compound and about three hours after they successfully entered his residence.

A convoy of black SUVs, some equipped with sirens, were seen leaving the compound with police escorts. Mr Yoon was later seen stepping out of a vehicle after arriving at the agency’s office in the nearby city of Gwacheon. He was expected to be sent to a detention centre in Uiwang, near Seoul.

The president was being held for questioning on Wednesday afternoon but was refusing to talk, an anti-corruption official told Reuters. Mr Yoon could be kept in custody for weeks. The anti-graft agency, which is leading a joint investigation with police and the military over whether the martial law declaration amounted to an attempted rebellion, has 48 hours to request a court order for a formal arrest. If it fails to do so, Mr Yoon will be released.

Mr Yoon’s lawyers have claimed that a detainment warrant issued by a Seoul court was invalid. They said the anti-corruption agency had no legal authority to investigate rebellion allegations.

“I am truly appalled to see illegalities upon illegalities upon illegalities being carried out and procedures being forcefully conducted under an invalid warrant,” Mr Yoon said in the video. “My decision to comply with such illegal and invalid procedures is not an acknowledgement of them, but rather a willingness to prevent unfortunate and bloody incidents.”

Supporters of President Yoon rally in Seoul on Wednesday. Reuters
Supporters of President Yoon rally in Seoul on Wednesday. Reuters

South Korea’s acting leader, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, on Wednesday urged law enforcement and the presidential security service to ensure there were no “physical clashes”.

Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the liberal opposition Democratic Party, which drove the legislative campaign that led to Mr Yoon’s impeachment on December 14, said his detention was the “first step towards restoring constitutional order, democracy and realising the rule of law”.

The Constitutional Court held its first formal hearing on the impeachment case on Tuesday, but the session lasted less than five minutes because Mr Yoon refused to attend. The next hearing is set for Thursday, and the court will then proceed with the trial whether or not Mr Yoon is there.

Minor scuffles broke out between pro-Yoon protesters and police near the presidential residence on Wednesday, a Reuters reporter said. Throngs of those protesters had gathered before dawn in sub-zero temperatures.

“It is very sad to see our country falling apart,” said Kim Woo-sub, 70, who was protesting against Mr Yoon's arrest.

- With agencies

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Our legal columnist

Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

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British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
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Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.

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Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')

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Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

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"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

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1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery

1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases

1895 - Discovery of x-rays

1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time

1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin

1953 - Structure of DNA discovered

1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place 

1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill

1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.

1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out

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Launch year: In 2016 ekar launched and signed an agreement with Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. In January 2017 ekar launched in Dubai in a partnership with the RTA.

Number of employees: Over 50

Financing stage: Series B currently being finalised

Investors: Series A - Audacia Capital 

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La Liga: 2016/17
Spanish Super Cup: 2017
Uefa Champions League: 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18
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Fifa Club World Cup: 2016, 2017

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When: Monday, October 22, 2pm start

Where: Abu Dhabi Cricket, Oval 1

Tickets: Admission is free

Australia squad: Aaron Finch (captain), Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Darcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa, Peter Siddle

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Updated: January 15, 2025, 10:38 AM`