Outraged survivor becomes first sitting president to be arrested by Reuters

Written by Jack Kim

SEOUL (Reuters) – Yoon Suk Yeol became the first South Korean president to be arrested when he finally resigned on Wednesday after a weeks-long standoff with authorities investigating him on treason charges. A hard-line political survivor in the middle of his five-year term, Yoon, 64, has been dogged by scandals, persistent opposition and infighting within the party. his.

His legal career is in contrast to his early political career as chief prosecutor, which thrust him into the public eye and sparked massive support leading to his victory in the 2022 presidential election. his first elected office.

Since winning that election, Yoon has been angered by the constant infighting that has produced the kind of sloppiness that his former opponent says is characteristic of him.

By the time Yoon briefly imposed martial law on December 3 in a move that surprised South Koreans, he had been badly damaged politically. He was suspended from his duties after being impeached by parliament on 14 December for his efforts at martial law.

Yoon’s political fate is in the hands of the Constitutional Court as his legal troubles mount.

He has faced multiple criminal investigations for treason – the only charge from which South Korean presidents are not immune – including the leadership of the Corruption Investigation Office for Senior Officials (CIO) .

Yoon had used his refusal to comply with what he called the CIO’s illegal arrest warrant to rally supporters as he faced snowballing legal and political challenges.

Alone in his fortified residence in downtown Seoul, Yoon and his Presidential Security Service played a fierce game of chicken with authorities who tried to arrest him for two weeks before his arrest. he finally agreed to be interrogated.

In a message released during his arrest, Yoon said he did not approve of the illegal operation, but he was submissive to avoid bloodshed.

Yoon had previously vowed to “fight to the end” and asked fans to help him save the country from “anti-national forces”.

BAKES, ALL SHAPES, ‘AMERICAN PIE’

The last year of Yoon’s presidency has been marred by a scandal involving his wife, who was accused of improperly receiving large sums of money. Christian Dior (EPA:) handbag as a gift.

Yoon apologized after the scandal was blamed as a major reason for the PPP’s parliamentary election defeat in April. But he continued to reject calls for an investigation into the scandal and the alleged bid-rigging involving his wife and mother.

The prosecutor’s office that investigated the allegations decided not to prosecute the first lady.

Yoon’s struggles at home have overshadowed his success on the international stage.

His bold decision to reverse the decades-long conflict with neighboring Japan and join Tokyo in a three-way security partnership with the United States is widely seen as his crowning achievement. foreign policy.

Yoon’s ability to connect with individuals, seen as a trait that gave him his early success, was on full display at a White House event in 2023, when he took the stage and performed a song of the 1970s “American Pie” for the game. surprised President Joe Biden and the cheering crowd.

SHAMANS, SCHOOL PEOPLE

Born into a wealthy family in Seoul, Yoon initially excelled in school. He entered the prestigious Seoul National University to study law, but his love of fun caused him to repeatedly fail the bar exam before passing on the ninth attempt.

Yoon shot to national fame in 2016 when the chief investigator investigating former President Park Geun-hye for corruption, was asked if he intended to take revenge and replied that the accusers were not criminals.

Three years earlier, Park suspended Yoon, then dismissed him from a team investigating a high-profile case against the country’s spy agency. The move was seen as punishment for challenging his authority.

The role he played in Park’s imprisonment and his surprise return as head of the powerful Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office marked the beginning of a remarkable rise to power.

Two years later, he became the prosecutor general of South Korea, leading the corruption investigation of a close friend of the next president, Moon Jae-in. That made him a favorite of conservatives frustrated by Moon’s liberal policies, positioning Yoon as a presidential candidate in 2022.

But his presidency got off to a rocky start when he went ahead with moving the presidential office out of the Blue House compound to a new site, prompting questions about his faith. shui that the old presidential office is cursed. Yoon denied any involvement by himself or his wife with the shaman.

When Yoon refused to fire authorities after the 2022 Halloween mob killed 159 people, he was accused of defending his “yes men.” One was Defense Minister Lee Sang-min, Yoon’s high school classmate.

Another student of Choongam High School in Seoul was Kim Yong-hyun, the man who led the work of the presidential office, became the head of the presidential security service and was appointed minister of security in September.

Kim was one of two people who recommended that Yoon declare martial law, a senior military official said. Here he is.