A look at the events that led up to the detention of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was detained on Wednesday after a massive law enforcement operation at the presidential compound that ended a weeks-long stand-off between his bodyguards and the country’s anti-corruption agency. He is wanted for questioning about his Dec. 3 decision to impose martial law on the country.
The National Assembly voided his short-lived declaration just hours after it was announced.
At the time, Yoon claimed he took the action because the liberal opposition, which has a legislative majority, was obstructing his agendas and even the approval of his budget. He described the opposition as North Korea-sympathizing, “anti-state forces” responsible for “wreaking havoc and are the main culprits of our nation’s downfall.”
Here is a timeline of events:
Jan. 15
Anti-corruption investigators and police raid the presidential compound and detain Yoon, more than six weeks after his ill-fated power grab. Yoon, the first sitting president to be apprehended, had been holed up in the Hannam-dong residence in the capital, Seoul, for weeks while vowing to “fight to the end” the efforts to oust him.
Jan. 14
The Constitutional Court held its first formal hearing in the case. The session lasted less than five minutes because Yoon refused to attend. The next hearing is set for Jan. 16.
Jan. 7
The chief of the presidential security service, Park Jong-joon, resigns.
Jan. 3
Scuffles occur on Jan. 3 when dozens of investigators were stopped from entering Yoon’s compound by presidential security forces, military personnel and vehicle barricades.
Dec. 31
Seoul Western District Court issues a warrant to detain Yoon for questioning.
Dec. 27
The National Assembly votes to impeach South Korea’s acting President Han Duck-soo over his unwillingness to fill vacancies on the bench of the Constitutional Court, plunging the country into further political turmoil.
Dec. 14
The National Assembly passes the motion 204-85, impeachingYoon. His presidential powers and duties are subsequently suspended and Prime Minister Han, the country’s No. 2 official, takes over presidential powers.
Dec. 12
Yoon defends his martial law decree as an act of governance and denies rebellion charges, vowing to “fight to the end” in the face of attempts to impeach him.
The National Assembly passes motions to impeach national police chief Cho Ji Ho and Justice Minister Park Sung Jae, suspending them from official duties, over their alleged roles in the enforcement of martial law.
Dec. 11
Kim Yong Hyun, the former defense minister, is formally arrested over his alleged collusion with Yoon and others in imposing martial law. The Justice Ministry says Kim was stopped from attempting suicide hours before a Seoul court issued his arrest warrant.
South Korean police send officers to search Yoon’s office to look for evidence related to the martial law introduction but they are blocked by Yoon’s security team from entering the compound.
Police detain the national police chief and the top officer for Seoul over their roles in enforcing Yoon’s martial law orders.
Dec. 10
Kwak Jong-keun, commander of the Army Special Warfare Command whose troops were sent to parliament after Yoon declared martial law, tells lawmakers that he received direct instructions from former defense minister, Kim, to obstruct them from entering the National Assembly’s main chamber. He says Kim’s instructions were to prevent the 300-member Assembly from gathering the 150 votes necessary to overturn Yoon’s martial law order.
Kwak says Yoon later called him directly and asked for the troops to “quickly destroy the door and drag out the lawmakers who are inside.” Kwak says he did not carry out Yoon’s orders.
Dec. 9
South Korea’s Justice Ministry bans Yoon from traveling overseas as police, prosecutors and South Korea’s anti-corruption agency expand competing investigations into allegations of rebellion and other charges in connection with his martial law decree.
Dec. 8
Prosecutors detain former defense minister, Kim, over his alleged role in planning and executing Yoon’s martial law enforcement.
Dec. 7
Yoon apologizes and says he won’t shirk legal or political responsibility for declaring martial law. He also says he would leave it to his party to chart a course through the country’s political turmoil, “including matters related to my term in office.”
Yoon survives an impeachment vote that most ruling party lawmakers boycotted, denying the motion that required a two-thirds majority.
Dec. 6
In a bombshell reversal, Han Dong-hun, reformist leader of Yoon’s party, expresses support for suspending Yoon’s constitutional powers, saying that the president poses a “significant risk of extreme actions, like reattempting to impose martial law, which could potentially put the Republic of Korea and its citizens in great danger.”
Dec. 5
Yoon replaces his Defense Minister Kim, a close associate believed to be the person who recommended the president declare martial law. Han, the leader of Yoon’s party, says he would work to defeat the opposition-led impeachment motion — even though he criticized Yoon’s declaration as “unconstitutional.” Han says there’s a need to “prevent damage to citizens and supporters caused by unprepared chaos.”
Dec. 4
Shortly after midnight, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik says through his YouTube channel that the Assembly will respond to Yoon’s martial law declaration with “constitutional procedure.”
Woo reaches the Assembly’s main chamber around 12:35 a.m. Some South Korean troops break windows to enter the Assembly but fail to reach the main chamber. Woo opens a meeting at 12:47 a.m. to hold a vote on whether to lift martial law.
At around 1 a.m., 190 lawmakers, including 18 from Yoon’s own conservative People Power Party, voted unanimously to lift martial law. Troops and police begin to retreat from the Assembly shortly later.
At 4:30 a.m., martial law is formally lifted following a Cabinet meeting.
Dec. 3
In a surprise announcement at 10:29 p.m., President Yoon tells a national television audience he’s declaring martial law, saying the opposition-controlled National Assembly has become a “den of criminals” paralyzing government affairs.
Yoon vows to “eradicate” his political rivals, describing them as North Korea-sympathizing, “anti-state forces” responsible for “wreaking havoc and are the main culprits of our nation’s downfall.” He doesn’t back his claims with direct evidence.
In reaction, the main opposition Democratic Party calls for an emergency meeting.
As lawmakers begin rushing to the National Assembly, the military’s martial law command issues a proclamation declaring sweeping government powers, including the suspension of political parties’ activities and other political gatherings that could cause “social confusion” and control over media and publications. It says anyone who violates the decree could be arrested without a warrant.
Hundreds of heavily armed troops encircle the Assembly, apparently to prevent lawmakers from gathering to vote on the martial law declaration. Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung live-streams his journey from a car, pleading for people to converge on the parliament to help lawmakers get inside. The shaky footage shows him climbing over a fence to reach the grounds.
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Associated Press writer Patrick Quinn in Bangkok contributed to this report.