South Korea's president called his arrest a "voluntary appearance"

South Korean President Yun Seok-yol called his arrest a "voluntary appearance" and said he went along with investigators to avoid "bloodshed." The president's prerecorded address was released on Jan. 15.

"When I saw how they broke into the secured area today using fire-fighting equipment, I decided to respond to the CIO's investigation, even though it was an illegal investigation, to prevent bloodshed," Yonhap News Agency reported Yoon Seok-yeol as saying.

Because of this, he continued, he decided to "visit the corruption investigation office." Yoon Seok-yeol also noted that he does not recognize the investigation committed against him and believes that the case is invalid. According to the President of South Korea, the legal system in the country is "completely destroyed" and the courts "issue fake official documents, misleading citizens."

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Earlier in the day it became known about the beginning of the second attempt to arrest Yoon Seok-yeol. For this purpose, several prosecutors and investigators traveled from the police department to the presidential residence in Seoul. Later, Yonhap News Agency reported that the investigators arrested the South Korean president.

Prior to that, on January 7, it was reported that a court in South Korea issued a warrant for the re-arrest of the republic's president, as investigators encountered difficulties in executing the warrant in the first attempted arrest.

In late December, the court issued the first arrest warrant for Yoon Seok-yeol. On January 3, it was reported that law enforcers arrived at the South Korean president's residence to arrest him. It was specified that a total of about 150 law enforcement officers were sent - about 30 employees of the anti-corruption investigation office for high-ranking officials and 120 police officers. Then it was also reported that the President's security service did not allow the investigation to search his residence in Seoul. The President's lawyers said that the arrest warrant was invalid.

The situation in the Republic of Korea escalated in early December 2024, when President Yun Seok-yol declared martial law. The reason for such a step he called the threat of paralysis of power, arising from attempts to conduct impeachment proceedings. Commander of the emergency regime - Chief of Staff of the Ground Forces Park Ahn-soo noted that until the lifting of martial law in the republic prohibited the activities of the parliament, political parties and associations. Military equipment was brought to the streets of Seoul.