South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arrested; says he agreed to questioning to prevent bloodshed

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested over insurrection accusations over his December 3 martial law declaration. Yoon said in a statement that he submitted himself for questioning to avoid any violence. 

He was holed up at his hillside residence for weeks. He arrived at the offices of the anti-corruption agency heading the probe from his residence. More than 3,000 police officers had marched to his residence to arrest the president. 

"When I saw them break into the security area using firefighting equipment today, I decided to respond to the CIO's investigation - despite it being an illegal investigation - to prevent unsavoury bloodshed," Yoon said in a statement.

His lawyers have argued that attempts to detain Yoon are illegal and are a way to publicly humiliate him. This is the first ever warrant issued for the arrest of an incumbent South Korean president. 

Minor scuffles also broke out between tearful pro-Yoon protesters and police near his residence as local news broadcasters reported that Yoon may soon be detained. 

South Korea is in the throes of significant political turbulence following the brief declaration of martial law by President Yoon on December 3, which was retracted after approximately six hours. President Yoon is currently under criminal investigation for alleged insurrection. He failed to respond to summons for questioning after which the South Korean authorities sought to execute an arrest warrant. 

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) and the police received a re-issued arrest warrant from a South Korean court. This follows an earlier unsuccessful attempt to detain Yoon, which was thwarted by a stand-off with presidential security officers earlier this month.

Meanwhile, amid the political unrest in South Korea, North Korea launched several short-range ballistic missiles on Tuesday. This action coincided with the visit of Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya to Seoul.