SOUTH KOREA’S DISGRACED EX-PRESIDENT YOON SUK YEOL DETAINED AGAIN OVER MARTIAL LAW COUP ATTEMPT
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was detained for a second time on Thursday as prosecutors intensified their investigation into his failed attempt to impose martial law in December 2024 an act that plunged the country into political chaos.
The latest arrest follows the issuance of a fresh warrant by Seoul’s Central District Court, citing concerns that Yoon could destroy key evidence in the ongoing probe into his alleged insurrection. He is now being held in a solitary confinement cell without air-conditioning amid a nationwide heatwave.
Yoon, 64, first made history in January as South Korea’s first sitting president to be arrested after sending armed troops to the National Assembly to block lawmakers from overturning his martial law decree. Though he was released in March on procedural grounds, his trial on charges including insurrection, abuse of power, and falsification of official documents continued.
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Following his impeachment and removal from office in April, Yoon repeatedly defied summons by investigators, prompting renewed efforts to detain him.
“The special counsel will focus on the warrant’s stated charges during this detention period,” said lead prosecutor Park Ji-young on Thursday. She added that while Yoon’s status as former president would be acknowledged, he would be “treated like any other suspect.”
During a seven-hour hearing on Wednesday, Yoon denied all allegations and lamented what he described as a collapsing legal defence. “One by one, my lawyers are stepping away. I may soon have to fight this alone,” he told the court.
Prosecutors are expected to hold Yoon in detention for up to 20 days to complete their investigations and could seek to keep him for an additional six months post-indictment.
Yoon’s legal team described the renewed detention as “unnecessary and excessive,” arguing that the former president no longer holds any power to influence ongoing proceedings.
The former president is also being investigated for allegedly authorizing provocative drone flights toward North Korea to justify the declaration of martial law and for falsifying documents tied to the plan.
In its April 4 decision removing Yoon from office, the Constitutional Court unanimously ruled that his actions constituted a “betrayal of people’s trust” and a “denial of the principles of democracy.”
Yoon’s successor, President Lee Jae Myung, who won the June 2025 snap election, has since endorsed a special investigation into Yoon’s actions, his administration, and alleged misconduct involving his wife.
Despite mounting legal troubles, Yoon has continued to defend his decisions as necessary to “root out anti-state and pro–North Korean forces” a claim sharply rejected by the court and most legal experts.
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