Impeached South Korean President Yoon Arrested Over Failed Martial Law Bid

South Korean authorities on Wednesday arrested impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over insurrection accusations related to his brief declaration of martial law on December 3, investigators said.

According to reports, the suspended President was seen leaving his heavily fortified residence in central Seoul in a convoy to the offices of the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) after a joint team of investigators and police said they had executed the arrest warrant.

Mr Yoon had been holed up at his hillside residence for weeks, behind a small army of personal security to avoid arrest. His lawyers have argued attempts to detain the impeached Presidnet were illegal and were designed to publicly humiliate him.

Earlier in the day, more than 3,000 police officers and anti-corruption investigators raided his residence and secured his arrest, making him the first sitting president in the nation's history to be arrested.

Mr Yoon's declaration of martial law last month stunned South Koreans and plunged one of Asia's most vibrant democracies into an unprecedented period of political turmoil. Lawmakers voted to impeach him and remove him from duties on December 14.

Separately, the Constitutional Court is deliberating over whether to uphold that impeachment and permanently remove him from office.