[Breaking] Korea's President Yoon Suk-Yeol Arrested on Treason Charges: Timeline of Events

On the morning of January 15, at 10:33 AM KST, South Korea’s High-ranking Officials Criminal Investigation Agency (CIO) arrested President Yoon Suk-Yeol on charges of treason. This marks the first time in the country’s constitutional history that a sitting president has been apprehended by law enforcement.

President Yoon faces accusations of declaring an unconstitutional and illegal state of martial law on December 3 of last year. He is alleged to have mobilized armed military forces to blockade the National Assembly and detain key political figures and election commission officials unlawfully. The charges also include an alleged attempt to use military force to block the National Assembly's resolution to lift the martial law, which constitutes an act of treason aimed at subverting the constitutional order.

Timeline of Events Leading to Arrest

The CIO’s attempts to summon President Yoon began last year. Despite three separate summonses issued between December 18 and December 29, President Yoon failed to comply. As a result, the CIO sought an arrest warrant on December 30.

The Seoul Western District Court granted the warrant, citing that the president had "no justifiable reason for failing to comply with the summons, showed a likelihood of continued noncompliance, and there was substantial evidence supporting the alleged charges." The warrant was valid for seven days.

However, the first arrest attempt on January 3 was thwarted after 5 hours and 30 minutes of resistance from the Presidential Security Service. Undeterred, the CIO secured a new arrest warrant on January 7 and successfully executed it on January 15, with the assistance of police, at the president’s official residence in Hannam-dong.

President Yoon has been transported to the CIO headquarters at the Government Complex in Gwacheon, where formal investigations are set to commence.

The arrest of a sitting president represents an unprecedented moment in South Korea’s modern political history. The ramifications of this event are expected to significantly influence the nation’s political landscape in the weeks and months to come.