The South Korean President, Yoon Suk Yeol, has been arrested for questioning by an anti-corruption agency.
Yeol was impeached by parliament on December 14 for his bungled martial law announcement.
His presidential rights and duties have since been suspended pending the verdict from the constitutional court — which has up to 180 days to oust Yeol as president or restore his powers.
Previous attempts to arrest Yeol after his impeachment failed. Investigators pulled up Yeol from his home on Wednesday morning following a standoff in which his security details clashed with those of the state.
He was then driven in a motorcade to be taken into custody. It would be the first time a sitting South Korean president has been arrested.
The warrant allows investigators to hold Yeol for up to 48 hours. The Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) would need to apply for another warrant to detain him further.
Yeol’s supporters and opponents clashed at the scene of the arrest, with each group baying for the other’s jugular.
Police officers had to cordon off the street to prevent a breakdown of law and order.
Yeol is accused of martial law declaration and leading an insurrection — a crime punishable by life imprisonment or even the death penalty.
After his arrest, Yeol released a pre-recorded message to say “the law is all broken in this country”.
“As a president who must protect the constitution and legal system of the Republic of Korea, responding to these illegal and invalid procedures is not an acknowledgment of them, but in the hopes of preventing unsavoury bloodshed,” he said.
