South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol arrested

SEOUL, Soth Korea

South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested Wednesday by the country’s Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking officials, a first for a sitting South Korean leader.

Police officers are seen closing in on suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol's residence in Seoul, South Korea, alongside investigators of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials.

This was the second bid to arrest the impeached president, following a failed attempt on Jan.3 when agents from South Korea’s Presidential Security Service had blocked investigators from entering Yoon’s residence.

Unlike the first attempt, “this time, there were no individuals or security staff actively obstructing the execution, and there were no significant physical clashes,” the CIO said.

About 3,000 police officers were involved in the second attempt to secure access to Yoon’s compound, news agency Yonhap said.

South Korean media outlets also reported Yoon in a pre-recorded video said that “the law of the country has collapsed,” and called the CIO’s investigation “illegal.” Yoon said he would appear before the CIO to “prevent an unpleasant bloodshed,” according to a Google translation of the reports in Korean.

South Korean stocks had a muted reaction to the news, with the blue-chip Kospi up 0.21% and the small-cap Kosdaq down 0.44%.

The won weakened slightly against the U.S. dollar, and was last trading at 1,459.75. Yield on 10-year benchmark South Korean bonds also rose.