Who is Yoon Suk Yeol, impeached South Korean president who evaded arrest?

President has thrown his country into political turmoil by briefly declaring martial law

Yoon Suk Yeol may become the first sitting president of South Korea to be arrested over his controversial 3 December martial law decree that plunged the country into political chaos.

The president, who was impeached on 14 December, evaded arrest on 3 January after his security guards prevented investigators from executing an arrest warrant issued by a Seoul court.

South Korea was thrown into turmoil last month after Mr Yoon declared martial law, only to revoke it hours later under immense pressure.

The decree, which marked the first attempt to impose such measures in over four decades, has sparked calls for his resignation and left the nation’s political landscape in disarray.

On 14 December the parliament voted to impeach president Mr Yoon as authorities investigated allegations of rebellion.

The National Assembly passed the motion 204-85 in a floor vote. Mr Yoon’s presidential powers and duties will be suspended after the copies of a document on the impeachment are delivered to him and to the Constitutional Court.

The court has up to 180 days to determine whether to dismiss Mr Yoon as president or restore his powers. If he’s thrown out of office, a national election to choose his successor must be held within 60 days.

It was the second National Assembly vote on Mr Yoon’s impeachment motion. Last Saturday, Mr Yoon survived an impeachment vote after most ruling party lawmakers boycotted the floor vote. Some People Power Party lawmakers had since announced their intentions to vote for Mr Yoon’s impeachment in a second vote, as public protests against Mr Yoon intensified and his approval rating plummeted.

An embattled leader

Mr Yoon, who narrowly won the presidency in 2022, has been facing mounting unpopularity since taking office. Already weakened by a crushing parliamentary election defeat for his party earlier this year, his approval ratings had plummeted to 17 per cent before this week’s events.

The chaos on Tuesday night began when Mr Yoon justified his martial law declaration citing threats from North Korea and the need to eliminate “anti-state elements”.

But the move was widely interpreted as an attempt to consolidate power in the face of his domestic struggles. Within hours, lawmakers, some from his own People Power Party, rushed to the National Assembly to block the order, while thousands of protesters took to the streets in Seoul.

Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-Myung stands in front of the National Assembly in Seoul on 4 December 2024 (EPA)

By the time Mr Yoon withdrew the decree, the protesters outside the National Assembly were cheering, but the damage to his presidency appeared irreversible.

Mr Yoon’s declaration of martial law was a “legal overreach and a political miscalculation”, Prof Leif-Eric Easley of Ewha Womans University in Seoul told BBC News.

“He sounded like a politician under siege, making a desperate move against mounting scandals, institutional obstruction, and calls for impeachment.”

A woman reacts among police officers during a protest outside the National Assembly after president Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law (Reuters)

A presidency marred by controversy

Mr Yoon’s presidency has been turbulent from the start. Mr Yoon was a prosecutor before entering politics and gained national prominence for spearheading the corruption case against former president Park Geun-hye. His lack of political experience was evident after he narrowly defeated liberal candidate Lee Jae-myung in 2022.

While Mr Yoon’s campaign resonated with younger male voters due to its anti-feminism rhetoric, public hopes for “principle, transparency, and efficiency” under his leadership were soon dashed, Prof Don S Lee from Sungkyunkwan University told the British broadcaster.

A man looks at a newspaper report about South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law declaration (EPA)

Mr Yoon’s tenure has been plagued by scandals, many centring on his wife, Kim Keon Hee, who has faced allegations of accepting a luxury Dior handbag and stock manipulation. In November, Mr Yoon apologised for her actions but rejected demands for a formal investigation.

Meanwhile, his frequent gaffes – he was caught on a hot mic apparently insulting US lawmakers and praising former dictator Chun Doo-hwan – further eroded his credibility.

Chun led tanks and troops into Seoul in December 1979 in the country’s second coup after dictator Park Chung-hee’s death. The next year, he orchestrated a military crackdown on a pro-democracy uprising in the southern city of Gwangju, killing at least 200 people.

However, Mr Yoon praised him for being “good at politics”.

Protesters clash with police officers during a demonstration calling for the resignation and impeachment of South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol (EPA)

Strained relations at home and abroad

Domestically, Mr Yoon has struggled to navigate a parliament controlled by the opposition Democratic Party, which won a decisive majority in April’s election. Opposition lawmakers have repeatedly blocked his legislative agenda, forcing him to veto bills at an unprecedented rate. Last week, they slashed the government’s proposed budget, leaving Mr Yoon with little room for manoeuvre.

Amidst these political setbacks, Mr Yoon’s approval ratings have remained dismal, with growing calls for impeachment. Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung has called Tuesday’s martial law declaration a “decisive opportunity to break the vicious cycle and return to normal society”.

Internationally, Mr Yoon’s presidency has been a mixed bag. While he has strengthened ties with allies like the US and Japan and provided aid to Ukraine, his hardline stance on North Korea has escalated tensions with Pyongyang.

Critics also accuse him of jeopardising relations with China, South Korea’s largest trading partner.

Protesters demonstrate against the country’s president at the National Assembly on 4 December 2024 in Seoul (Getty)

What’s next for Yoon Suk Yeol?

A Seoul court on 29 December issued an arrest warrant sought by prosecutors investigating whether the president’s shortlived declaration of martial law amounted to insurrection.

The warrant, valid until 6 January, was approved after Mr Yoon ignored multiple summons to answer charges of insurrection and abuse of power, accusations that his lawyers called “unlawful”.

But an attempt to arrest Mr Yoon was blocked by his security services, with the Corruption Investigation Office saying the “execution of the arrest warrant was virtually impossible due to the continued standoff”.

If he is detained, the anti-corruption agency will have 48 hours to conduct an investigation and decide whether to seek a warrant for his formal arrest or release him.

Mr Yoon’s latest political gamble has drawn widespread condemnation. His senior aides offered to resign en masse, while opposition lawmakers moved forward with impeachment proceedings. Even leaders within his own party have called for his removal.

Insurrection is one of the rare offences for which South Korean presidents are not granted immunity. The offence carries severe penalties that may include life imprisonment or even the death penalty.