South Korea’s Yoon Seok-yeol has become the country’s first sitting president to be arrested, ending a weeks-long standoff between investigators and his safety.

Mr Yoon’s failed attempt to impose martial law plunged the country into chaos and was impeached by parliament, where he is now being investigated on charges of rebellion.

However, he is still technically president as the Constitutional Court must decide whether his impeachment is valid.

Investigators used ladders and wire cutters in freezing temperatures to find Yoon, whose Presidential Security Service (PSS) agents set up roadblocks to prevent his capture.

The 64-year-old leader said he agreed to appear before the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) of senior officials. to avoid bleeding.

In a three-minute video message, Yoon said he would comply with the investigation against him despite his objections.

He has always maintained that the warrant for his arrest has no legal effect.

Yin said he witnessed how authorities used firefighting equipment to “invade” the secure perimeter of his home.

“I decided to appear before the CIO, albeit an illegal investigation, to prevent any unpleasant bloodshed,” he said.

Tension scenes unfolded at dawn as the arrest team crossed the roadblock. Groups of Yin supporters chanted “end impeachment,” while another group of critics chanted “arrest him.”

More than 1,000 police officers were involved in Wednesday’s operation, which was the second time officers tried to arrest him.

The CIO who was previously investigating Yoon An attempt was made to arrest him on January 3 But they were blocked by buses and barbed wire.

They obtained a warrant for his arrest after he ignored multiple summonses to appear in court.

On Wednesday, they arrived armed with tools to overcome the obstacles, using ladders to climb over parked vehicles and through chain-link fences.

Some people managed to enter the presidential palace via nearby hiking trails, local media reported.

Yoon’s People’s Power Party condemned his arrest as “illegal” and chamber leader Kwon Sung-dong called Wednesday’s incident “regrettable.”

On the other hand, Park Chan-dae, the floor leader of the opposition Democratic Party, said that Yoon Eun-hye’s arrest showed that “justice in South Korea still exists.”

He told a party meeting that the arrest “is the first step towards restoring constitutional order, democracy and the rule of law.”

The country is currently led by Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok as acting president. He came to power after the first acting president, Han Deok-soo was also impeached Proposed by the Opposition majority in Parliament.

Yoon is expected to be detained at the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the chief information officer’s office.

However, if the court does not issue a detention order within 48 hours of Yin’s arrest, he will be released and free to return to the presidential palace.

Mr Yin was questioned by investigators but invoked his right to remain silent.

While the arrest of a sitting president is a big deal for South Korean politics, the country’s political crisis is far from over. This is just another phase in the ongoing political drama.

The crowd outside Yin’s home Wednesday morning underscored the country’s deep divisions.

When news of Mr. Yin’s arrest broke, the anti-Yin crowd cheered, clapped and sang songs of “congratulations and celebrations.”

The atmosphere on the other side was completely different.

“We are very frustrated and angry – the rule of law has collapsed,” Yoon’s supporters told the BBC.

The standoff also pits two branches of executive power against each other: law enforcement officers with legal warrants and presidential security personnel, who say they have a duty to protect the suspended president.

Even before martial law was declared, Yoon had been reduced to a lame duck leader as the opposition held a majority in parliament.

He has also been controversial because of his wife’s problems Received a Dior bag as a gift.