BUSTED

South Korean Leader Arrested After Weeks-Long Standoff

Over 3,000 police marched on Yoon Suk Yeol’s residence to dramatically detain him.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol made history on Wednesday morning—for all the wrong reasons. After a weeks-long standoff over his decision to declare martial law, Yoon was detained for questioning, the first arrest of a sitting president in South Korean history. Yoon briefly declared martial law on Dec. 3, triggering a political crisis and a parliamentary vote to impeach him. He has since been holed up at his heavily guarded presidential residence, but was forced to give up after a force of 3,000 police marched on the residence early on Wednesday. The country’s Joint Investigation Headquarters announced at 10:33 a.m. it had executed an arrest warrant for the embattled leader on charges of leading an insurrection—a crime punishable by life in prison or even the death penalty. Two days before his arrest, Yoon had been filmed nonchalantly strolling around the gardens of his official residence, local media reported, sparking anger on social media. “You’ve brought the country to this state and you’re so relaxed?” one poster asked.