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

Now, for more on what lies ahead for President Yoon following his arrest, we have 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 questioning by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), President Yoon will be transferred to Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi-do Province, where he will likely be held in solitary confinement.

The CIO must decide by Friday whether to request a detention warrant for President Yoon or release him.

Under South Korean law, the CIO has 48 hours to request a detention warrant — until 10:33 a.m. on January 17.

An arrest warrant allows custody for this amount of time, but a detention warrant extends this period during an ongoing investigation.

If granted, the CIO and prosecution will split the investigation period, each conducting inquiries for 10 days.

If denied, Yoon will be released but remain under investigation.

Given that this involves a sitting president, the legal and political stakes are high.

President Yoon and his legal team argue that his arrest and the investigation are illegal. What are the grounds for these claims?

Jungmin, some legal experts support Yoon's claims, but others strongly disagree.

Let's break it down.

Let's hear from Professor Chang Young-soo from Korea University, who explains the basis of the legal arguments from Yoon's lawyers.

"First, the CIO does not have the authority to investigate insurrection charges. Second, there's an issue with the warrant request — jurisdiction belongs to the Seoul Central District Court, so why was it filed with the Seoul Western District Court?"

However, other experts dismiss these claims. Take a listen to Professor Cho Hee-kyoung of Hongik University.

"It's true that the CIO does not have specific jurisdiction over insurrection because their focus is mainly to do with high-level public officials corruption and related acts. But what they do have is the jurisdiction to look at any related crime that they become aware of as they investigate another crime. Plus the CIO is not acting alone here they are actually cooperating with the National Investigation bureau(Office) so together they have all the necessary jurisdiction."

With the warrant reviewed and approved multiple times, some view Yoon's claims as an attempt to exploit legal loopholes to avoid responsibility.

Beyond this investigation, President Yoon is also facing an impeachment trial. Will he attend the next hearing scheduled for tomorrow?

This afternoon, President Yoon's legal team confirmed that he will not attend tomorrow's impeachment hearing.

Yoon also skipped the first session on Tuesday, citing concerns over the legitimacy of his arrest and his personal safety.

As a result, that hearing ended after just four minutes.

However, the Constitutional Court has made it clear that the trial will proceed regardless of his presence.

Professor Cho Hee-kyoung explains why Yoon's absence may be more than just a safety concern.

"The reason why Yoon didn't participate is really more a delaying tactic because the constitutional court still needs to ask the president, the defendant, to appear before the court to attend the trial process up to two times. Then if the defendant doesn't appear, even at the second request, they can simply go ahead without the defendant present."

Lastly Jung-sil what's the fate of the president's security officials who stood their ground during the first arrest attempt earlier this month?

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 agencies 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 handle this high-stakes investigation will shape the outcome of this unprecedented legal battle.

Unprecedented indeed.

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

Thank you.