What lies ahead for South Korea's impeached president as investigators push for his arrest?
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Law enforcement authorities on Friday were seeking to formally arrest impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was spending his third day at a detention center after his lawyers failed in a last-minute attempt to secure his release. Yoon, who was apprehended on Wednesday in a massive law enforcement operation at his residence, faces potential rebellion charges linked to his declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, which set off the country’s most serious political crisis since its democratization in the late 1980s.
Attempting to break through legislative gridlock, Yoon imposed military rule and sent troops to the National Assembly and election offices, but the standoff lasted only hours after lawmakers who managed to get through a blockade voted to lift the measure. The opposition-dominated assembly voted to impeach him on Dec. 14.
A court-ordered arrest could lead to an extended period in custody for the conservative president, who faces both criminal charges and a Constitutional Court ruling in the coming weeks that will determine whether he is dismissed or reinstated to office.
Here’s what Yoon faces at a moment that could determine his political fate:. What’s ahead?. After undergoing more than 10 hours of questioning on Wednesday at the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, during which he exercised his right to remain silent, Yoon boycotted questioning for a second straight day on Friday as his supporters maintained that the investigation was illegal.
