South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol arrested as agencies probe his short-lived martial law decree

South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol was detained on Wednesday by the country’s Anti-Corruption Agency for High-Ranking Officials, marking the first time a sitting head of state has ever been taken into custody.

This was the second attempt to detain the impeached president, following a failed effort on January 3, when agents from South Korea’s Presidential Security Service had prevented investigators from entering Yoon’s residence.

Opposite to the first instance, “this time, there were no individuals or security personnel actively interfering with the process and no significant physical confrontations occurred,” the CIO stated.

Approximately 3,000 police officers were involved in the second effort to gain access to Yoon’s compound, according to news agency Yonhap.

he said “the law of the country has collapsed,” and called the CIO’s investigation “illegal.” Yoon said he would come in before the CIO to “prevent an unpleasant bloodshed.”

South Korean stocks responded indifferently to the news, with the main index, Kospi, increasing 0.21% while the smaller stock market, Kosdaq, falling 0.44%.

The won slipped slightly against the US dollar, and was most recently trading at 1,459.75. The yield on 10-year South Korean benchmark bonds also rose.

The warrant was then extended after it had expired initially on January 6.

Yoon could face charges of insurrection following his brief declaration of martial law on December 3, a charge that cannot be exempted by presidential immunity and carries the potential for a death sentence in its most severe form.

Yoon made a surprise late-night broadcast and declared martial law last month, citing the need to protect the country from “North Korean communist forces” and “anti-state forces.” This was the first time martial law had been declared in South Korea in over 40 years.

Legislators eventually broke through police blockades and voted down the resolution at the country’s legislative assembly, before introducing articles of impeachment against Yoon a short time afterwards. Yoon was impeached on December 14 and subsequently removed from office.

The hearing against Yoon was originally set for January 14, but was postponed until January 16 when Yoon failed to show up.