President Yoon arrested: What’s next in the unfolding political crisis?

Now for more on what lies ahead for President Yoon Suk Yeol amid his arrest I have our Kim Jung-sil here in the studio.

Jung-sil welcome.

Thank you for having me.

Right then do walk us through the protocols ahead for the president given his arrest by anti-corruption investigators earlier this morning.

Certainly.

After completing his interrogation by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), President Yoon will be transferred to the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi-do Province, where he is expected to be placed in solitary confinement.

Under South Korean law, the CIO must decide whether to formally request a detention warrant within 48 hours — by 10:33 a.m. on January 17th.

To clarify, an arrest warrant allows the authorities to detain a suspect for up to 48 hours for questioning.

If they need to hold the suspect beyond that, they must request a detention warrant, which allows extended custody while the interrogation continues.

If a detention warrant is issued for the president, the CIO and the prosecution are expected to split the investigation period, each conducting investigations for 10 days.

If the detention warrant is approved, President Yoon could remain in custody for longer pending a trial.

If denied, he would be released but would still face an investigation.

This process is highly sensitive, given that it involves a sitting president, raising potential constitutional and political concerns.

Now along with the investigation into insurrection charges the president also faces an impeachment trial and a second hearing is scheduled for tomorrow.

Will he be able to attend tomorrow's session?

That's a critical point.

President Yoon was absent from the first impeachment hearing on Tuesday, with his legal team claiming that he will appear once concerns over the legitimacy of his arrest and his personal safety are resolved.

As a result, the session ended after just four minutes.

The Constitutional Court has made it clear that the proceedings will continue regardless of his attendance.

Experts believe Yoon's participation at the next hearing is unlikely, arguing that if this had been an option, the authorities may have postponed today's arrest.

Meanwhile Jung-sil what's the fate of the president's security officials who stood their ground during the first arrest attempt last week?

The police are now focusing on high-ranking members of the Presidential Security Service who blocked the first attempt to arrest President Yoon.

While some have cooperated, others continue to resist.

So far, 55 individuals from various government, military, and security sector have been charged, with key suspects—such as former defense minister Kim Yong-hyun and former defense intelligence commander Noh Sang-won— already handed over to the prosecution.

Ultimately, how the police navigate these obstacles will determine the momentum and outcome of this unprecedented investigation.

Unprecedented indeed.

All right Jung-sil thank you for the latest on both the probe and legal proceedings against the president.

Thank you.