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President officially arrested over martial law after court approves warrant request

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President Yoon Suk Yeol is taken to the Seoul Detention Center after being questioned over his short-lived imposition of martial law at the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday. He was officially arrested, Sunday, after a Seoul court issued the warrant for him. Yonhap

President Yoon Suk Yeol is taken to the Seoul Detention Center after being questioned over his short-lived imposition of martial law at the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday. He was officially arrested, Sunday, after a Seoul court issued the warrant for him. Yonhap

By Kim Se-jeong

President Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested, Sunday, over his botched martial law imposition.

The Seoul Western District Court issued the arrest warrant for Yoon, which made him the first sitting president to be officially arrested. It said he was likely to destroy evidence.

The arrest came after Yoon was temporarily detained Wednesday to be questioned over accusations of insurrection and abuse of power related to martial rule.

Following the issuance of the warrant, Yoon will take the process for official admission to the Seoul Detention Center, where he has been in a "waiting room" for suspects so far. He will be moved to a prison building for prisoners on trial, given a prison number and have his mugshot taken.

Investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) requested the arrest warrant, saying he was likely to destroy evidence, flee and recommit the crime. They said the president has not reflected on his misdeeds, may try to declare martial rule again if the Constitutional Court rejects his impeachment, and is likely to destroy evidence considering he changed his cell phone and withdrew from Telegram around the time of the martial law declaration.

Windows are broken at the Seoul Western District Court, early Sunday, after angry supporters of President Yoon Suk Yeol  stormed into the court building in protest against  the court's order to arrest Yoon. Yonhap

Windows are broken at the Seoul Western District Court, early Sunday, after angry supporters of President Yoon Suk Yeol stormed into the court building in protest against the court's order to arrest Yoon. Yonhap

After the court issued the arrest warrant, angry supporters of the president who had been gathering outside the court stormed into the court building. They threw objects at police officers and smashed windows. The police said they detained 45 protesters at the scene after nearly three hours of disturbance.

On Saturday afternoon, Yoon attended the court's review on the issuance of the warrant and defended himself, according to his lawyers. He reiterated his earlier stance that the martial law imposition was a proper act of governance to maintain public order and was not an insurrection — a claim which the court did not recognize.

During two questioning sessions under detention by the CIO on Wednesday, he exercised his right to remain silent. He then refused to attend additional sessions on Thursday and Friday, with his lawyers citing health reasons and saying the CIO had no authority to investigate an insurrection charge.

His lawyers had asked the Seoul Central District Court to review the legitimacy of detention, but the court, Thursday, did not recognize their claim that the detention was flawed.

Kim Se-jeong skim@koreatimes.co.kr


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