- Web Desk
- 25 Minutes ago

South Korea: Arrested President’s convoy reaches anti-corruption agency
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- Web Desk
- Jan 15, 2025

SEOUL: The convoy carrying impeached South Korean President, Yoon Suk Yeol, arrived at the country’s anti-corruption agency, The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, in early hours of Wednesday after being arrested.
After weeks of standoff and being holed up in a hillside resident, the South Korean anti-corruption authorities successfully arrested the disgraced president early on Wednesday.
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According to reports, Yoon agreed to be questioned by the anti-corruption authorities, claiming that he was complying to avoid violence.
The South Korean President declared the arrest as ‘illegal’, despite having been impeached by the South Korean parliament, after he announced a short-lived martial law on December 3, 2024.
Despite publicly apologising after rescinding the attempted coup announcement, Yoon had refused to step down as president despite several South Korean parliamentarians threatening to have the head of state impeached.
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As he was being escorted out, Yoon declared his arrest as “deplorable”, calling the actions of the South Korean authorities as “illegal acts of law enforcement”.
Role of Anti-Corruption Officials in Yoon’s arrest
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) is an agency within the South Korean government reportedly “independent”. It was established in 2021 to investigate and prosecute crimes involving high-ranking officials and their relatives within the East Asian country.
The agency’s establishment itself was extremely controversial, facing several delays. Although, eventually created, the anti-corruption office cannot investigate sexual harassment allegations.
The head of the agency is also chosen by a South Korean serving president, putting some doubts on its neutrality.
Despite this, the CIO became involved in the high-profile investigation of Yoon following his failed martial law attempt. The office was able to acquire an arrest warrant against the head of state by a South Korean court.
CIO’s officials attempted to arrest the impeached president on January 3, where he was protected from supporters and the Presidential Security Service at the official presidential residence.
Read more: South Korean presidential guards prevent arrest of impeached Yoon
Despite hours of standoff, Yoon successfully evaded capture until the second attempt yielded results and the disgraced president was finally, successfully arrested on Wednesday.
