South Korea's suspended president arrested over his attempt to impose martial law
Newshour
BBC
4.2 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 15 January 2025
⏱️ 47 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
South Korean investigators say the impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol, is refusing to answer questions under interrogation. He was arrested on Wednesday in relation to his short-lived imposition of martial law in early December. In a video message the president said he had agreed to appear before the investigators to prevent any bloodshed, though he described the investigation as illegal.
We speak to a member of the opposition and to a prominent South Korean writer about the mood in the country.
Also in the programme: an international panel of experts says we need to improve how we diagnose obesity to avoid over-diagnosis; firefighters in LA brace for new high winds; Is Space being privatised - and is that fair? And Kenya's only ice hockey team goes international.
Photo: Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol rally near the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking officials following his arrest in Gwacheon, South Korea, January 15, 2025. Credit: Soo-hyeon/ REUTERS
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello and welcome to NewsHour live from the BBC World Service. I'm Rebecca Kesbby. The impeached |
| 0:10.0 | president of South Korea, Yunsook-Yul, has been arrested, the first sitting president ever to be arrested. |
| 0:16.7 | He's being investigated for charges of insurrection after his failed attempt to impose martial law on the 3rd of December. |
| 0:24.8 | It's the latest in the standoff between his own presidential team and officials from the Corruption Investigation Office. |
| 0:31.7 | Earlier attempts to arrest him failed when his security guards blocked police earlier this month. |
| 0:37.4 | Today, though, the police took no chances, sending a massive force of around 3,000 officers to make the arrest. |
| 0:44.9 | There were dramatic scenes as the officers surrounded the presidential compound just before dawn around 4 a.m. |
| 0:51.2 | Armed with bolt cutters and even a crane, they refused to leave without Mr. |
| 0:55.5 | Yun. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people, both anti and pro-yun supporters, crowded around |
| 1:01.8 | the presidential residence in freezing temperatures as the drama unfolded. These anti-Yun protesters |
| 1:07.7 | were chanting, arrest him in Korean. |
| 1:10.0 | Well, our anti-Yun protesters were chanting arrest him in Korean. |
| 1:20.1 | Well, after several hours, Mr. Yun has said that he decided to give himself up to avoid bloodshed, as he put it. And a short time ago, he was being moved to a detention centre |
| 1:25.2 | after being interrogated. But our correspondent, Shima Khalil, was on the scene last night |
| 1:30.0 | and into this morning. |
| 1:31.5 | During that arrest, she told us what happened. |
| 1:34.4 | I think it was a day of high drama, high emotions, |
| 1:38.9 | and so many different parties determined to stand their ground, |
| 1:43.4 | whether it was the police forces, |
| 1:44.8 | the investigators, the supporters of Yun Sung-Yul or his opponents. Everybody was outside the presidential |
| 1:54.8 | residence. As we walked in, it was brutally cold. I mean, you really could feel your bones shiver. And a picture |
| 2:02.9 | that will remain with me is one protester, an anti-un protester, holding a banner and others wrapped |
... |
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