Beginning on January 3, 2025, South Korean authorities attempted to arrest Yoon Suk Yeol, president of South Korea at the time. Yoon had confined himself at his official presidential residence since his impeachment on December 14, 2024. The arrest warrant, granted on December 31 by the Seoul Western District Court, stemmed from investigations into Yoon's martial law declaration on December 3, as well as his refusal to attend any of the three summons demanded by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO). On January 15, 2025, after an infiltration of his residence, Yoon handed himself over to the CIO, ending the arrest effort.
The initial and unsuccessful arrest operation on January 3 resulted in a complex security standoff at his presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan, Seoul, involving multiple security forces and lasting several hours. After roughly six hours of confrontation at Yoon's residence, the CIO suspended their operations, citing safety concerns for personnel. It was unsuccessful mainly due to resistance from the Presidential Security Service and legal objections from Yoon's defense lawyers. The arrest warrant and raid marked the first arrest of a sitting president in the nation's history.
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