Beginning on 3 January 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 14 December 2024. The arrest warrant, granted on 31 December by the Seoul Western District Court, stemmed from investigations into Yoon's martial law declaration on 3 December, as well as his refusal to attend any of the three summons demanded by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO). On 15 January 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 3 January 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.
On 10 July 2025, three months after Yoon's 4 April removal from office, the Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest warrant for Yoon, this time in his capacity as the former president, due to loss of immunity stipulated in Article 84 of Constitution of South Korea. The arrest related to five key charges related to the imposition of the short-lived martial law, the grounds for arrest were obstruction of special official duties, violation of the Presidential Security Act, obstruction of the exercise of rights by abuse of power, and creation of false official documents. Yoon remains in custody as of 14 June 2026, and was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2026 for orchestrating an insurrection.
Background
On 3 December 2024, at 10:27pm Korea Standard Time (KST), Yoon Suk Yeol, the president of South Korea, declared martial law during a televised address. In his declaration, Yoon accused the Democratic Party (DPK), which has a majority in the National Assembly, of conducting "anti-state activities" and collaborating with "North Korean communists" to destroy the country, thereby creating a "legislative dictatorship". The order prohibited political activities, including gatherings of the National Assembly and local legislatures, and suspended the free press. Separately, Yoon reportedly ordered the arrest of various political opponents, including the leaders of the DPK and his own People Power Party (PPP).
Military and police forces attempted to prevent legislators from entering the National Assembly Proceeding Hall, causing clashes between the security forces, protesters, and legislative aides. All 190 legislators who were present in the chamber unanimously voted to demand the lifting of martial law, forcing Yoon to lift martial law around 4:00am KST on 4 December.
As a result, Yoon was impeached on 14 December by the National Assembly and suspended from office pending a final ruling by the Constitutional Court on whether to confirm his removal from the presidency. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo briefly served as acting president until he was also impeached on 27 December, making Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok acting president.
Investigation and arrest warrant On 11 December 2024, South Korean police raided the Office of the President of the Republic of Korea, with investigators presenting a search warrant specifying Yoon as the suspect. However, the Presidential Security Service refused to cooperate, resulting in a "very limited" number of documents and materials being submitted by Yoon's office. Raids were also conducted on the Defense Counterintelligence Command, the Army Special Warfare Command, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, the National Police Agency, and the National Assembly Security Service. On the same day, the former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun attempted to commit suicide at the detention facility while in custody.
On 12 December, the police raided the Joint Chiefs of Staff headquarters adjacent to the presidential compound, as well as the Capital Defense Command headquarters. On 13 December police raided the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police headquarters to investigate the unit's role during martial law. Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police had dispatched police forces to the NEC after Yoon's declaration of martial law.
Following his impeachment on 14 December, Yoon confined himself in his presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan, central Seoul.
On 27 December the National Assembly voted 191–71 to create a special committee to investigate insurrection charges against Yoon, with a tenure lasting until 13 February 2025. The committee was formally opened on 31 December and was composed of 18 lawmakers, including 10 opposition and seven PPP lawmakers and one independent lawmaker.
Yoon was summoned three times by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) for questioning on 18 December, 25 December and 29 December over his declaration of martial law. He ignored all three summons. In response, on 30 December, the CIO filed an arrest warrant for Yoon at the Seoul Western District Court. The warrant was granted by the court the next day. The arrest warrant, valid for seven days up to 6 January 2025, allowed investigators multiple attempts to detain Yoon if initial efforts proved unsuccessful. If detained, the anti-corruption agency would have 48 hours to request a formal arrest warrant, or else have to release him. Yoon's legal team announced their intention to pursue legal action, characterizing the warrant's execution as "illegal and invalid" by asserting that the CIO did not have the authority to issue the warrant.
Reactions to Yoon's arrest warrant
During the arrest operation, Democratic Party floor leader Park Chan-dae stated that Yoon "...must pay the price for his crime of trying to start a war by ordering (during martial law), 'tear down the door with an axe' and 'drag him out even if it means shooting him.'" and urged the People Power Party (PPP) to stop defending someone who "destroyed the constitutional order and democracy", warning that anyone who continued to defend him would "face the judgment of the people". Following the unsuccessful initial raid, Park called Yoon an "insurrection ringleader", and described his arrest as South Korea's "most urgent task" in order to prevent the economic and political fallout of the martial law crisis from further snowballing. He demanded the immediate arrest of all parties who obstructed the raid and any future attempts to arrest Yoon, deeming them "accomplices to insurrection".
Public demonstrations Following the issuance of Yoon's arrest warrant on 31 December 2024 and Yoon's subsequent addresses to his supporters, thousands of protesters gathered near Hangangjin station to support Yoon amid temperatures dropping to , claiming his innocence and alleging electoral fraud in the previous April's general election. Supporters set up tea and snack stations near the protest site. Several pro-Yoon supporters waved American and South Korean flags during the rallies, and shouted slogans including "We will protect President Yoon Suk Yeol!" and "Nullify the impeachment!". During this period, Yoon maintained communication with supporters through public statements, watching their protests via YouTube livestreams. Several demonstrators maintained an overnight vigil on the night of 2–3 January, conducting prayer sessions in the street before the main protests began.
On 1 January 2025, Yoon released a statement to his supporters claiming, "The Republic of Korea is currently in danger due to internal and external forces threatening its sovereignty," and vowed to "fight alongside you to the very end to protect this nation." Opposition lawmakers criticized this message as inflammatory, with Democratic Party spokesperson Jo Seoung-lae describing Yoon as "delusional" and accusing him of attempting to incite confrontations.
By 9:30am on 3 January, unofficial police estimates placed the crowd at approximately 1,200 people. Law enforcement deployed about 2,700 police officers, 135 police buses, and several specialized units in order to prevent potential clashes between pro-Yoon and anti-Yoon demonstrators, following confrontations between the two parties the previous day. Violent clashes occurred between rival parties outside the presidential compound, with some pro-Yoon supporters physically blocking access to the residence. Bae Hoon, a 46-year-old anti-Yoon protester, reported that demonstrators were "hit and assaulted multiple times by those waving national flags." Several pro-Yoon supporters lay down on a road leading to the presidential residence, with Korean officers removing them. Several protesters beat large drums and chanted slogans such as "Arrest the Supreme Prosecutors' Office!", "We won!", "Cheer up, Yoon Suk Yeol!", or "Cheer up, Presidential Security Service!"
Democratic Party floor leader Park Chan-dae accused Yoon of "watching far-right YouTube videos at the presidential residence for a month and inciting far-right forces", regarding the response of Yoon's supporters.
First arrest attempt
In the early morning hours of 3 January, investigators from the CIO, accompanied by police forces, entered Yoon's presidential residence to execute the arrest warrant. The arrest team was reported to have comprised about 150 personnel, with 30 members from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and 120 from the special police unit. Of these, 80 personnel (30 prosecutors and 50 police officers) entered the residence grounds, while 70 additional police officers remained on standby outside, with some reinforcements arriving later. Yoon had reportedly been isolated since 14 December, following the impeachment proceedings. Extensive barricades and vehicle restrictions were enacted in the Hannam-dong area in advance of the operation.
The operation began around 7:00am local time. Investigators breached initial security barriers, but were stopped at the residence entrance by Chief of Presidential Security Service Park Jong-jun, who refused access. The Presidential Security Service cited two articles in South Korea's Criminal Procedure Act regarding the protection of official secrets to justify blocking access to investigators. The CIO chief warned that attempts to obstruct Yoon's arrest could result in additional prosecutions. Democratic Party floor leader Park Chan-dae stated that any attempts to obstruct the arrest operation would be charged with complicity in sedition and obstruction of their duties.
At 8:02am, two bulletproof vehicles reportedly exclusively used by Yoon and the first lady were captured on video leaving his residence. It was later speculated that Yoon fled the premises using these vehicles.
At 9:54am local time, Yonhap reported that prosecutors had broken through military service units blocking the residence, including the 55th Security Brigade of the Army Defense Command, which maintained the second line of defense. Regular soldiers from the Defense Command had also been deployed to impede the arrest warrant's execution. Multiple members of Yoon's legal team entered his residence, and mounted several legal challenges to the arrest warrant. They argued that the warrant could not be enforced at the presidential residence, citing laws protecting locations containing military secrets from searches without proper consent. The lawyers also questioned the CIO's authority to investigate "rebellion charges" and disputed police officers' legal right to assist in the detention operation.