Seoul, Jan. 15: Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was taken to a detention centre near Seoul on Wednesday after being questioned by law enforcement officials regarding his imposition of martial law last month.

Yoon faced approximately 10 hours of questioning by the country’s anti-corruption agency following his detention earlier in the day at his presidential residence. The arrest followed an early-morning standoff at his official residence in Seoul.

Yoon’s arrest marks the first time that a sitting president in South Korea has been taken into custody.

Officials from the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) revealed that Yoon refused to speak during two and a half hours of questioning and declined to be filmed. They did not provide further details about his silence during the investigation.

CIO, an independent agency established in 2021, is tasked with investigating high-ranking officials, including presidents and their family members. However, it lacks the authority to prosecute a sitting president and must refer such cases to the prosecutors’ office for further action.

Before his arrest, Yoon Suk Yeol released a video message stating that he had agreed to cooperate with anti-corruption authorities to “avoid unsavoury bloodshed”. He described his detention as part of a broader saga that has unsettled South Korean politics and raised concerns among international allies.

Yoon further claimed that the rule of law had “completely collapsed” following his arrest and labeled the investigation as “illegal”.

According to report by The Guardian, Yeol was taken to the Seoul Detention Center, where other high-profile figures, including former President Park Geun-hye and former Samsung Electronics chair Jay Y. Lee, have also been detained.

Despite its name, the centre is located in Uiwang, 14 miles (22 km) south of Seoul. If Yoon remains there, he is likely to be held in a solitary cell larger and better appointed than the standard 6.56-square-meter single cells. However, he will otherwise be treated like any other detainee, with a 6:30 am. wake-up time and lights out at 9:00 pm, The Guardian added.

The operation to detain Yoon began early Wednesday, with streets around his Hannam-dong residence sealed off by police buses and thousands of officers. Investigators from the CIO scaled fences and clashed with Yoon’s supporters, who gathered to protest the arrest warrant, calling it “fake” and demanding the opposition leader’s arrest.

The acting president, Choi Sang-mok, called the situation “a crucial moment for maintaining order and the rule of law in South Korea”.

Yoon’s martial law declaration plunged the country into its worst political crisis in decades, with soldiers storming parliament, momentarily shaking South Korea’s democracy.-Agencies