South Korea arrests ex-president Yoon for a second time

SEOUL - South Korea’s disgraced former president Yoon Suk Yeol was detained for a second time on July 10 over his declaration of martial law and held in a solitary cell as investigators

widened their insurrection probe

.

Yoon plunged South Korea into a political crisis when he sought to subvert civilian rule on Dec 3, 2024, sending armed soldiers to Parliament in a bid to prevent lawmakers voting down his declaration of martial law.

He became South Korea’s first sitting president to be taken into custody when he was detained in a dawn raid in January, after he spent weeks resisting arrest, using his presidential security detail to head off investigators.

Yoon was released from detention on procedural grounds in March after the Seoul Central District Court overturned his January arrest, allowing him to

stand trial for insurrection without being held in custody.

In April, Yoon was formally removed from office after his impeachment was upheld by the country’s Constitutional Court.

After Yoon’s impeachment was confirmed by the court that month, he again refused several summonses from a special counsel launched by Parliament to investigate his martial law attempt, prompting prosecutors to seek his arrest on June 24.

The latest arrest warrant was issued over concerns that Yoon would “destroy evidence” in the case, said Seoul Central District Court senior judge Nam Se-jin.

Special counsel prosecutors on July 6 sought a new arrest warrant for Yoon on charges such as abuse of power and obstruction of official duties.

Prosecutor Park Ji-young, a member of the special counsel, also told reporters: “We’ve just checked and confirmed that the warrant has been issued.”

The former president, 64, is already on trial for insurrection, personally appearing in court to contest the charges.

That request was initially denied after the court noted Yoon had since signalled a willingness to cooperate. But on July 6, the special counsel filed a fresh warrant request, claiming his detention was deemed necessary.

Yoon had attended a hearing on July 9

that lasted about seven hours, during which he rejected all charges, before being taken to a detention centre near the South Korean capital.

There, he waited for the court’s decision in a holding room.

Once the warrant was issued, Yoon was placed in a solitary cell at the facility, where he can be held for up to 20 days as prosecutors prepare to formally indict him, including on additional charges. If formally indicted, Yoon could remain in custody for up to six months pending an initial court ruling.

During the hearing, Yoon’s legal team criticised the detention request as unreasonable, stressing that Yoon has been ousted and “no longer holds any authority”.

Earlier in July, the special counsel questioned Yoon about his resistance during a failed arrest attempt in January, as well as accusations that he authorised drone flights to Pyongyang to help justify declaring martial law.

The former president also faces charges of falsifying official documents related to the martial law bid. He has defended his martial law attempt as necessary to “root out” pro-North Korean and “anti-state” forces.

But the Constitutional Court, when ousting Yoon from office on April 4 in a unanimous decision, said his acts were a “betrayal of people’s trust” and “denial of the principles of democracy”.

South Korea’s current president, Mr Lee Jae Myung, who won the June snap election, approved legislation launching sweeping special investigations into Yoon’s push for martial law and various criminal accusations tied to his administration and wife.

Mr Lee inherited a nation deeply fractured by the political crisis triggered by Yoon, whose attempt to subvert civilian rule – which saw armed soldiers deployed to Parliament – sent shock waves through South Korean democracy. AFP