Yoon’s detention, after a tense standoff outside the presidential residence, marks the latest chapter in a bewildering series of events since his martial law decree.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been detained after a massive law enforcement operation at the presidential compound that ended a weeks-long stand-off between his bodyguards and the country’s anti-corruption agency.

As 3,000 riot police swarmed his hillside villa on Wednesday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol huddled with party loyalists, telling them that people were increasingly realising the country's legal system had been hijacked by leftist forces.

Yoon Suk Yeol was taken to a detention center after being questioned by law enforcement officials over his imposition of martial law last month

Authorities now have 48 hours to question Yoon, after which they must seek a warrant to detain him for up to 20 days or release him.

South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol claimed on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, that declaring martial law was not a crime.

Although his failure to attend – which his team have blamed on purported safety concerns – forced a procedural adjournment, the hearings will continue without Yoon, with the next set for Thursday

Yoon's declaration of martial law in December stunned South Koreans and plunged one of Asia's most vibrant democracies into political turmoil.

South Korea's president Yook Suk Yeol has been arrested by anti-corruption investigators, following a weeks-long stand-off between investigators and his personal security detail. The 64-year-old, who plunged South Korea into political turmoil with his short-lived martial law declaration on 3 December, is the first sitting president to be arrested.