A look at the events that led up to the detention of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol
Share:
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was detained on Wednesday 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. He is wanted for questioning about his Dec. 3 decision to impose martial law on the country.
The National Assembly voided his short-lived declaration just hours after it was announced. At the time, Yoon claimed he took the action because the liberal opposition, which has a legislative majority, was obstructing his agendas and even the approval of his budget. He described the opposition as North Korea-sympathizing, “anti-state forces” responsible for “wreaking havoc and are the main culprits of our nation’s downfall.”.
Here is a timeline of events:. Jan. 15. Anti-corruption investigators and police raid the presidential compound and detain Yoon, more than six weeks after his ill-fated power grab. Yoon, the first sitting president to be apprehended, had been holed up in the Hannam-dong residence in the capital, Seoul, for weeks while vowing to “fight to the end” the efforts to oust him.
Jan. 14. The Constitutional Court held its first formal hearing in the case. The session lasted less than five minutes because Yoon refused to attend. The next hearing is set for Jan. 16. Jan. 7. The chief of the presidential security service, Park Jong-joon, resigns.
