South Korea’s former President, Yoon Suk-yeol, has been arrested for a second time and returned to a solitary jail cell over his ill-fated attempt to impose martial law last December.
Yoon’s detention on Thursday, July 10, 2025, came after a court in the South Korean capital, Seoul, ordered his arrest, citing concerns the former leader could seek to destroy evidence.
The Seoul Central District Court accepted Special Prosecutor Cho Eun-suk’s argument that there was a risk that Yoon would seek to destroy evidence if he was not arrested.
Cho’s team had questioned him twice before submitting a request for Yoon’s arrest warrant on Sunday. Yoon’s lawyers had said that the request was excessive and without basis.
The 64-year-old politician, who is on trial for insurrection, is being held at the Seoul Detention Center, where he spent 52 days earlier in the year before being released four months ago on technical grounds.
Yoon plunged South Korea into a political crisis when he sought to subvert civilian government on December 3, sending armed soldiers to parliament in a bid to prevent lawmakers from voting down his declaration of martial law.
He became South Korea’s first sitting President to be taken into custody when he was detained in a dawn raid in January, after spending weeks resisting arrest, using his presidential security detail to head off investigators.
However, he was released on procedural grounds in March. South Korea’s Constitutional Court then removed Yoon from office in April, paving the way for a snap election, which was held in June.
The country’s new President, Lee Jae Myung, approved legislation launching sweeping special investigations into Yoon’s push for martial law and various criminal accusations tied to his administration and wife.
Earlier this month, the special counsel questioned Yoon about his resistance during a failed arrest attempt in January, as well as accusations that he authorised drone flights to Pyongyang to help justify declaring martial law.
Yoon has defended his martial law decision as necessary to “root out” pro-North Korean and “antistate” forces.
Yoon To Be Detained Up To 20 Days
The latest arrest warrant against Yoon authorises his detention for up to 20 days, as prosecutors prepare to formally indict him, including on additional charges.
Yun Bok-nam, the President of Lawyers for a Democratic Society, told a news agency, “Once Yoon is indicted, he could remain detained for up to six months following indictment.”
“Theoretically, immediate release is possible, but in this case, the special counsel has argued that the risk of evidence destruction remains high, and that the charges are already substantially supported.”
Yun Bok-nam
During a hearing on the arrest warrant on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, Yoon’s legal team criticised the detention request as unreasonable, stressing that Yoon has been ousted and “no longer holds any authority.”
Yoon’s lawyers said that the warrant request was “rushed and unjustified” and called the investigation “flawed and politically motivated.”
They said that the independent counsel’s questions during Yoon’s investigation were only at a basic level regarding the allegations, and that the warrant request did not include any treason charges.
They added that most individuals involved have already been detained and are standing trial, so all relevant evidence has been secured and there is no risk of evidence being destroyed.
The former President also spoke at the seven-hour hearing, saying he is now “fighting alone”, according to South Korean media.
“The special counsel is now going after even my defence lawyers. One by one, my lawyers are stepping away, and I may soon have to fight this alone.”
Yoon Suk-yeol
If convicted, Yoon could face a maximum penalty of life in prison or death.
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