Yoon arrested and detained, again, 124 days after release
Published: 10 Jul. 2025, 19:44
Updated: 10 Jul. 2025, 19:48
Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI
![Former President Yoon Suk Yeol heads to Seoul Detention Center on July 9 after completing his second pretrial detention hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/07/10/6159a498-6126-49b7-9c67-85c88dd434f0.jpg)
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol heads to Seoul Detention Center on July 9 after completing his second pretrial detention hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul. [YONHAP]
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested and detained once again again early Thursday, 124 days after being released from custody earlier this year.
Having secured Yoon’s arrest in just 22 days since launching the probe, the special probe counsel investigating his declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, said it would now shift focus to other charges, including foreign aggression as well as the alleged role then-Prime Minister Han Duck-soo other lawmakers played in the declaration.
The counsel plans to summon Yoon for a third round of questioning on Friday at 2 p.m.
Yoon detained at 2:07 a.m.
Assistant Special Counsel Park Ji-young said in a press briefing that “a detention warrant was issued for former President Yoon at 2:07 a.m.,” explaining that “the court found probable cause to suspect the crimes listed in the warrant and a risk of evidence destruction.”
Yoon was previously arrested in January in connection with martial law declaration but was released on March 8 after a court ruled that prosecutors had improperly calculated the detention period.
Yoon was re-arrested after a hearing that lasted around 6 hours and 40 minutes at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, with Judge Nam Se-jin presiding. The special counsel also notified former first lady Kim Keon Hee and Yoon’s legal team of the ruling.
![Former President Yoon Suk Yeol heads to Seoul Detention Center on July 9 after completing his second pretrial detention hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/07/10/84a1d043-4315-4274-9abd-d6cdb7270131.jpg)
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol heads to Seoul Detention Center on July 9 after completing his second pretrial detention hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
“Did you instruct your security detail to brandish firearms?” Nam asked Yoon directly. Yoon denied having done so, saying, “My remark expressing regret over a report that a female officer was injured due to the lack of individual firearms was distorted.”
However, the judge sided with the government, citing testimony from multiple senior officials in the Presidential Security Service (PSS), including statements such as “He said, ‘Can’t we just shoot them?’”
Yoon on Thursday returned to Seoul Detention Center in Gyeonggi, where he'd previously been held.
Yoon did not attend his insurrection trial scheduled for Thursday morning at the Seoul Central District Court, citing health issues. His legal team questioned the legitimacy of the court's notice, saying, “It is questionable whether summoning him to a hearing just eight hours after his detention is lawful.”
After receiving the court's decision in the detainee waiting room, he was placed in a standard pretrial solitary cell measuring around 12 square meters (129.2 square feet). He now wears prison attire bearing his inmate number and no longer receives protection from the PSS because he has formally been transferred to the corrections authority.
He received the same meals as other inmates, to the JoongAng Ilbo reported.
Accelerated probe into treason charges
With Yoon back in custody, the special counsel team has expedited investigations into other allegations, including foreign aggression.
“Investigations during detention are limited to the charges in the warrant, but with the suspect’s consent, we can expand to other matters,” said Park.
![Former President Yoon Suk Yeol enters the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on July 9 for his pretrial detention hearing. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/07/10/98def630-b5db-48ba-9c1e-abdb745add6c.jpg)
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol enters the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on July 9 for his pretrial detention hearing. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
Yoon was not questioned on the day of his detention but is scheduled to be summoned for questioning Friday.
“While we’ll consider his status as a former president to the extent of public perception, he will otherwise be treated like any other suspect," said Park.
The counsel recently detained several former top military officials, including former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, former Defense Counterintelligence Commander Yeo In-hyung and former commanders of the Defense Intelligence Command Moon Sang-ho and Noh Sang-won, before the expiration of their initial detention periods.
The arrests are part of an ongoing investigation into claims that the military provoked North Korea to justify martial law — such as by sending drones over Pyongyang or planning to strike trash balloon launch sites.
Now that the special counsel has secured custody of the top commander-in-chief at the time, Yoon, has sped up its broader investigation. “With Yoon now detained, we plan to focus on the foreign exchange violation charges,” said an official on the team. Some speculate that a search and seizure of the Drone Operations Command will take place soon.
![Former President Yoon Suk Yeol enters the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on July 9 for his pretrial detention hearing. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/07/10/8cd4c016-3445-4e74-9722-377eb1cbaa41.jpg)
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol enters the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on July 9 for his pretrial detention hearing. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
The team also plans to to step up its probe into Han, who was named a co-conspirator. Investigators are also expected to summon key aides to the former president, all of whom were reportedly present at a secret meeting on Dec. 4, the day martial law was lifted.
The investigation will also include claims that the conservative People Power Party (PPP) obstructed a National Assembly vote to repeal martial law. The allegation is that Yoon contacted then-floor leader Choo Kyung-ho to prevent the resolution from passing. The special counsel believes direct questioning of Choo and others to be inevitable.
Legal challenge to detention likely
Legal experts say Yoon may appeal as he did when arrested by the police and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials in January. Korea permits convicts to request a review of the legality and necessity of their arrest.
“The legal team is discussing whether to file for a detention review, but no decision has been made yet,” said Yoon’s lawyer.
Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY NA UN-CHAE [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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