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Yoon Suk-yeol Arrested Again After 124 Days, First South Korean President to Face Double Arrest

Yoon Suk-yeol Arrested Again After 124 Days, First South Korean President to Face Double Arrest

Accompanied by a large number of personnel, Yoon Suk-yeol remained silent as he boarded a van headed for the Seoul detention center. After a lengthy 6 hours and 40 minutes of questioning, the Seoul Central District Court ruled around 2 AM on the 10th local time to arrest Yoon Suk-yeol. This marks the second time he has been detained by prosecutors since his release in March, just 124 days ago, creating a historic first for a former president in South Korea to face arrest twice.

On December 3, 2024, Yoon Suk-yeol gave an emergency address from the presidential office, declaring a state of emergency: “I am declaring a state of emergency to swiftly eradicate the shameless pro-North Korean forces and to protect the free democratic system.” Subsequently, 190 members of the National Assembly breached the blockade by armed forces, successfully entered the assembly, and, in accordance with the constitution, voted to nullify the state of emergency, forcing Yoon Suk-yeol to lift the order after a short six-hour process.

The special investigation team in charge of investigating the former government for insurrection and treason recently requested a warrant to arrest Yoon Suk-yeol, accusing him of five crimes, including abuse of power and obstruction of the exercise of rights, inciting others to abuse power, and using special means to obstruct the execution of official duties. Although Yoon Suk-yeol completely denies the allegations, the judge agreed with the prosecution's evidence, stating that Yoon Suk-yeol had indeed instructed accomplices to delete encrypted communication records and fabricate the emergency declaration document before destroying it. Additionally, since Yoon Suk-yeol had no justifiable reason to refuse to appear and did not actively cooperate with criminal proceedings, the judge approved his arrest due to concerns of evidence destruction and potential flight risk.

Going forward, Yoon Suk-yeol will undergo investigation by the special prosecution team while in custody for a maximum of 20 days. During this period, all presidential privileges, including security for his wife, Kim Kyun-hee, will be temporarily suspended, and these privileges will only be restored when he is released. During this time, Yoon Suk-yeol will be held in a 3-pyeong single cell without air conditioning, with a fan operating only at limited times. Moreover, prosecutors plan to expand their investigation into charges of treason concerning whether Yoon Suk-yeol directed the South Korean drone command to launch drones over Pyongyang to justify the state of emergency. Unverified military testimonies indicate Yoon Suk-yeol may have issued such orders, but due to the treason charges involving military secrets, the independent prosecution team has not disclosed any details. Yoon Suk-yeol faces life imprisonment or the death penalty for his insurrection and treason charges.