South Korean law enforcement detained impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol to bring him in for questioning following his short-lived martial law declaration last month. Yoon reportedly said he was cooperating with the anti-corruption probe to avoid violence.

“Although it is an illegal investigation, I decided to agree to appear at the CIO in order to prevent ugly bloodshed,” Yonhap, one of the country’s largest news outlets, quoted Yoon as saying in a statement. Yoon was reportedly referring to the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO).

Law enforcement deployed some 3,000 personnel to Yoon’s compound, which was surrounded by protesters both opposing and supporting the embattled leader, according to Yonhap, one of the country’s largest news outlets. After detaining Yoon, authorities have 48 hours to seek a warrant for his formal arrest, according to Yonhap.

Police officers and investigators of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials pass through the entrance to the official residence of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, as authorities are seeking to execute an arrest warrant, in Seoul, South Korea, Jan. 15, 2025. (REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji)

Yoon is referred to as “ringleader of insurrection” in a search warrant, Reuters reported.

On Dec. 3, Yoon declared martial law, vowing to get rid of “anti-state” forces. Yoon also accused the country’s parliament of sympathizing with North Korea. The parliament’s speaker and the leader of Yoon’s own party opposed the declaration. Yoon was suspended on Dec. 14 in a 204-85 vote.

Attorneys for Yoon maintain that the probe was not legal and classified the warrants as being part of an attempt to publicly humiliate the embattled leader.