South Korean investigators arrest impeached president

South Korean authorities have arrested impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over insurrection accusations related to his December 3 martial law declaration, investigators say.

Yoon’s presidential motorcade left the hillside residence where he has been holed up for weeks behind barbed wire barriers and a small army of personal security, and later arrived at the offices of the anti-corruption agency heading the probe.

In a statement, Yoon says he submitted himself for questioning to avoid any violence after more than 3,000 police officers marched on his residence to arrest him from the early hours on Wednesday.

“When I saw them break into the security area using firefighting equipment today, I decided to respond to the CIO’s investigation – despite it being an illegal investigation – to prevent unsavory bloodshed,” Yoon says in a statement.