South Korea's suspended president Yoon Seok-yeol was arrested on Wednesday morning after police and investigators conducted a pre-dawn raid on his hilltop compound.
Yin's detention came after a six-hour standoff between law enforcement and presidential security personnel. This is the first time in South Korea's history that a sitting president has been arrested.
The development marks the latest turn in a political crisis triggered by Yun's failed attempt to impose martial law last month, shaking confidence in the integrity of democracy in Asia's fourth-largest economy.
Yoon was impeached by parliament in December and subsequently suspended from office after briefly seizing power. The country is currently led by Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok as acting president.
The operation, which began shortly after 4 a.m. on Wednesday, was the second attempt by the country's corruption investigation office to detain Yin for questioning on charges of rebellion and abuse of power.
Yoon's protection officers thwarted initial efforts earlier this month after a tense, hours-long standoff at the presidential palace. Yin had previously refused to comply with investigators' demands and challenged their authority to bring him in for questioning.
"The rule of law in this country has completely collapsed," Yoon said in a video statement recorded before his arrest. "I decided to appear in court for questioning by the CIO to prevent bloodshed."
Police and CIO officials issued an arrest warrant for Yoon early Wednesday, but was initially blocked from entering the compound again by the Presidential Security Service, South Korea's official news agency Yonhap reported. About 30 lawmakers from Yoon's conservative People's Power Party also attended the meeting, Yonhap reported.
But as hundreds of police officers, some equipped with ladders and wire cutters, gathered outside, CIO officials were eventually allowed into the residence.
Yin's lawyers tried to get him to voluntarily surrender, but CIO officials had none of it. He was arrested around 10:30 a.m. and transferred to the investigative agency's headquarters for questioning.
“Yoon’s arrest is the first step towards restoring our constitutional order,” said Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the left-wing opposition Democratic Party of Korea. "This highlights that justice still exists."
While his power has been transferred to Choi Soon-sil as acting president, Yoon Eun-hye remains South Korea's head of state as the country's Constitutional Court considers whether to approve his impeachment or reinstate him.
The court held its first formal hearing on Tuesday but adjourned the session after four minutes as the suspended president refused to attend, citing fears for his personal safety.
Yoon's lawyer said on Wednesday that the president would attend future hearings and "will actively advance his claims once the controversial issues are resolved."
The CIO's investigation involves separate criminal proceedings related to Yin's failed martial law application.
Yonhap News Agency reported Wednesday afternoon that Yoon, a hardline former prosecutor, refused to cooperate with investigators at the CIO Detention Center.
Authorities have 48 hours to question him, after which they must obtain a detention order to hold him for a further 20 days. Experts say the president is likely to be held in solitary confinement during his interrogation.
Yin denies wrongdoing, and his lawyers argue that the CIO does not have standing to bring criminal rebellion charges against him.
In a statement posted on Facebook after his arrest, Yoon insisted that "martial law is not a crime" but "the president's right to overcome the national crisis" and "an appeal to the public."