President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers a public address via recorded video over his attendance at the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, Wednesday. Courtesy of the presidential office

President Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested early Sunday, making him the first sitting president in Korea's history to be arrested. He is the fifth Korean president to face arrest, following predecessors who underwent criminal investigations and imprisonment after leaving office.

Former Presidents Roh Tae-woo, Chun Doo-hwan, Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak were convicted and imprisoned, all having been arrested and investigated after leaving office.

Roh was the first president, former or incumbent, to be arrested in the country's history. He was taken into custody on Nov. 16, 1995, on charges of accepting 283.8 billion won ($19.45 million) in bribes from business leaders during his presidency.

Following Roh's arrest, then-President Kim Young-sam enacted a special law to prosecute those responsible for the military coup and the violent suppression of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement.

A special investigation team was established at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.

On Dec. 3 of the same year, 17 days after Roh's arrest, Chun was imprisoned at Anyang Correctional Institution on charges related to the Dec. 12 military insurrection and the creation of slush funds.

On April 17, 1997, Chun was sentenced to life in prison, and Roh was sentenced to 17 years in prison. Both died in 2021.

Former Presidents Roh Tae-woo, left, and Chun Doo-hwan attend their appeal hearings for the Dec. 12 military insurrection and May 18 Gwangju Uprising, Dec. 16, 1996. Yonhap

Park was arrested in 2017 following an investigation into her involvement in a state affairs manipulation scandal.

She faced charges of accepting 43.3 billion won in bribes from Samsung, abusing her authority and leaking official secrets. She became the first sitting president to be formally booked as a criminal suspect.

While in office, Park refused to cooperate with prosecutors, but after being removed from office on March 10, 2017, through a Constitutional Court's impeachment ruling, she complied with the investigation.

Six days after being summoned for questioning, prosecutors sought an arrest warrant, which a court granted on March 31. She was then detained at the Seoul Detention Center.

In January 2021, Park was sentenced to 20 years in prison, more than four years after the scandal broke out.

Former President Park Geun-hye, left, apologizes over the state affairs manipulation scandal in October 2016, and former President Lee Myung-bak issues an apology in February 2012 over allegations of corruption involving his brother. Yonhap

Lee was arrested on March 22, 2018, on charges of accepting 11 billion won in bribes and embezzling 35 billion won while in office.

His arrest followed a yearslong investigation into allegations surrounding DAS, an auto parts company, and the investment firm BBK — accusations that first surfaced during the 2007 presidential election.

Although he was granted bail and had his detention temporarily suspended at times, Lee was released and re-arrested multiple times as appellate and Supreme Court rulings upheld his convictions. In October 2020, the Supreme Court finalized his 17-year sentence.

All four former presidents were convicted and imprisoned but were eventually released through special pardons.

Roh and Chun were pardoned by then-President Kim on Dec. 22, 1997 — the same year they were sentenced. Roh served 767 days in prison, while Chun spent 750 days behind bars.

Park was also granted a special pardon by then-President Moon Jae-in on Dec. 31, 2021, after serving 1,736 days — approximately four years and nine months — the longest time spent in prison by any convicted Korean president.

For Lee, prosecutors suspended his sentence in June 2022, following Yoon's inauguration, after he requested the suspension due to health issues. After serving 958 days in prison, he was formally pardoned on Dec. 28, 2022.