The development, which followed a failed arrest attempt earlier in January, deepens the fallout from his short-lived declaration of martial law last month.

Judges at South Korea's Constitutional Court get underway with a trial this week that could remove the country's president from office. Yoon Suk Yeol sent the nation into a democratic crisis six weeks ago when he declared martial law.

The impeachment of Han Duck-soo, acting president since Yoon was impeached on Dec. 14 for declaring martial law, has thrown South Korea's once-vibrant democratic success story into uncharted territory.

Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested on Wednesday, an anti-graft agency investigating his Dec. 3 martial law attempt said in a statement. (Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Ed Davies g) Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

The legal perils of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol escalated on Jan. 15 when investigators arrested him for questioning over his short-lived martial law declaration. The country’s parliament had already impeached him on Dec.

Hundreds of law enforcement officers in South Korea have entered the residential compound of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol in the capital Seoul

Police used ladders to scale barricades and enter the president’s residential compound as they try to detain Yoon Suk Yeol, who is facing insurrection charges.