Image source, Getty Images

It has been a whirlwind few hours, as South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol has become the country's first sitting president to be arrested.

We're ending our live coverage now, but here's a look at what happened in Seoul today:

• Yoon had fortified his residence with barbed wire and buses ahead of today's arrest attempt, but investigators showed up with wire cutters and ladders and made their way in
• Emotions ran high as protesters gathered outside. Yoon supporters sobbed and lay on the ground upon news of his arrest, while anti-Yoon protesters cheered
• Yoon is now being questioned by investigators, though the CIO has said he has exercised his right to remain silent

• Woon can now be held for 48 hours, but may be released unless investigators obtain a fresh detention warrant to detain him for 20 days. He will stay the night in Seoul Detention Centre
• And though Yoon may be arrested, South Korea's political crisis is far from over

Thank you for staying with us - today's live coverage was brought to you by Ayeshea Perera, Gavin Butler, Yvette Tan, Koh Ewe, Kelly Ng, Fan Wang and Tessa Wong in Singapore, Shaimaa Khalil, Rachel Lee, Leehyun Choi, Jungmin Choi and Woongbee Lee in Seoul and Sam Hancock and Aoife Walsh in London.

Yoon is still being questioned by investigators at the CIO. He was first questioned this morning at around 11:00 local time, and will again be questioned this afternoon. The CIO has said that Yoon has exercised his right to remain silent.

He will remain detained over the night at the Seoul Detention Centre.

When former presidents Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak were arrested in 2017 and 2018, they were assigned solitary cells that were larger than the standard single cells, which measured 6.56 square metres (71 square feet).

This will likely be the arrangement for Yoon as well.

As we reported earlier, investigators can now hold Yoon for up to 48 hours.

He may be questioned, but has the right to remain silent. Yoon, who has decried the arrest as illegal, is likely to exercise this right.

During this 48 hours, investigators may also request a detention warrant, which would allow Yoon to be detained and questioned for up to 20 days. This warrant has to be approved by the court.

While South Korea remains locked in political turmoil, Chinese residents in the country have found themselves a talking point among Yoon's allies.

The ruling People Power Party lawmakers have claimed that ethnic Chinese people are supporting Yoon's impeachment and attending anti-Yoon rallies.

In response, China has decried these claims and warned its citizens in South Korea to stay away from political gatherings.

"Some politicians from the ruling party are inflating Chinese involvement to deflect domestic attention and pressure from President Yoon's impeachment," said Chinese state newspaper the Global Times.

South Korean politics has long been divided in its attitudes towards communist powers

The PPP is seen to take a more hawkish stance on communist powers like China and North Korea , while the Democratic Party is said to take a more pragmatic approach of balancing Chinese and US influence.

Following investigators' failed arrest attempt on 3 Jan, Yoon's security service fortified his compound using barbed wire and buses as barricades.

But investigators and police showed up this morning with the tools to overcome these obstacles: wire cutters and ladders.

They bypassed the parked buses by climbing over them, and cut through barbed wire.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

While dozens of ruling party lawmakers formed a human wall in front of the compound to block investigators from reaching Yoon, some managed to get access to the presidential residence through a nearby hiking trail, local media reported.

With President Yoon Suk Yeol now under arrest, all eyes are on the country’s anti-corruption agency.

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) will question the embattled president on charges of insurrection and abuse of power, stemming from his controversial martial law decree last month.

Despite the CIO's historic arrest of a sitting president, however, questions remain about what they will gain from this unprecedented action.

Lawyers representing Yoon previously criticised the execution of arrest warrants issued by the CIO, calling it illegal and invalid. Some have also suggested that Yoon, the former prosecution chief of the country who knows the system well, plans to exercise his right to remain silent during the CIO's questioning.

Following questioning today, Yoon is expected to be detained at the Seoul Detention Centre in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, approximately 5 kilometres from the CIO’s office.

If a court doesn't issue a detention warrant within 48 hours of Yoon's arrest, however, he will be released, and free to return to the presidential residence.

Lawmakers from Yoon's ruling People Power Party (PPP) have decried his arrest as "illegal", local media reported.

PPP members were among those who gathered outside Yoon's residence this morning to block investigators.

Kweon Seong-dong, floor leader of the PPP, told parliament he was "regretful" about how the situation unfolded.

"The dignity of our country has been damaged," he said.

Kweon added that they would hold investigators and police responsible for the injury of a citizen who was hurt during clashes with authorities.

In a pre-recorded video message released by Yoon's aides this morning, the suspended president said he stopped holding out against investigators' attempts to arrest him in order to prevent a violent escalation.

He also maintained that the arrest was illegitimate, though.

"Today, when I saw them invading the security perimeter with fire equipment, I decided to appear before the CIO, even though it is an illegal investigation, in order to prevent any unsavoury bloodshed," Yoon said.

For weeks, Yoon and his allies have been grappling with the fallout from his shock martial law declaration on 3 Dec.

Yoon has repeatedly defended the short-lived order, arguing that he was attempting to protect the country's democracy from North Korea sympathisers. But opposition lawmakers say it was an act of insurrection.

Several top officials have already been arrested over their roles in the martial law order, including military chiefs and ex-defence minister Kim Yong-hyun.

Then, on 14 Dec, the opposition-dominated parliament voted to impeach Yoon - he will be removed from office if the impeachment is upheld by the constitutional court.

Until today, Yoon was defiant in the face of investigations and calls for his resignation. He avoided a first arrest attempt on 3 Jan by holing up in his residence, behind his security service.

Yoon's replacement as acting president, Han Duck-soo, was also impeached by parliament after refusing to accede to the opposition's demands.

Han told the National Assembly this morning that while he felt "sorry" for not preventing the martial law order, the legality of Yoon's move should be judged by the court.

Read more about the thinking behind Yoon's martial law order.

From the moment of the arrest, the clock started ticking for investigators.

They can now hold Yoon for up to 48 hours, or obtain a detention warrant within this period to detain him while he is investigated. If the court refuses to issue another warrant, Yoon will be released.

In the case of a detention warrant, Yoon can be detained for up to 20 days before being brought to trial.

Once indicted, prosecutors may request that Yoon be tried under detention, which can last up to 6 months.

Rachel Lee
Reporting from Seoul

South Korea’s politics, long marked by stark divisions between conservatives and progressives, have descended further into chaos following the recent impeachment and arrest of former President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Yoon is now at the Gwacheon Government Complex where the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) is located, after a successful second attempt to execute an arrest warrant.

The arrest comes amid allegations of insurrection against Yoon, who declared martial law on 3 Dec.

The ensuing political crisis has intensified tensions between the former president's supporters, who protested against the CIO's actions, and his opponents, who celebrated when authorities successfully carried out the arrest.

The contrasting scenes reflected the deepening polarisation in South Korea. While Yoon’s opponents cheered his detention, his supporters vowed to continue their fight, insisting that the arrest marked only the beginning of a protracted struggle.

As the former president faces questioning over the charges, the nation remains gripped by uncertainty, with no clear resolution to the widening political divide.

As Yoon has been arrested, investigators are now leaving the presidential residence.

There has been heavy police presence at the residence since this morning. Police previously said they were deploying about 1,000 officers.

Shaimaa Khalil
reporting from Seoul

I’m standing in the middle of two very different crowds.

The anti-Yoon crowd blasted out a "congratulations and celebrations" song at the announcing of Yoon’s arrest. There are cheers and claps now at what they see as a success for law enforcement.

The atmosphere is completely different on the other side.

“We are very upset and angry - the rule of law has broken down," a Yoon supporter tells us, echoing what the president said in his video message.

Investigators and police say they’ve arrested the president, while he and his team are framing it as a voluntarily appearance for questioning.

Whichever way you look at it, this is a remarkable day in South Korean politics. For the first time in the country’s history, a sitting president has been arrested.

This, however, doesn’t end the crisis. Rather, it is just another phase in this unfolding political drama.

Democratic Party floor leader Park Chan-dae says Yoon's arrest confirms that "justice in South Korea is alive".

This arrest "is the first step toward restoring constitutional order, democracy and the rule of law," he said during a party meeting.

Since Yoon's botched martial law attempt, opposition lawmakers labelled Yoon and his allies "insurrectionists" and repeatedly called for their impeachment and arrest.

They have already successfully impeached Yoon and his top officials, including acting president Han Duck-soo.

Minutes after his motorcade left the presidential residence, Yoon has arrived at the Corruption Investigation Office, local media are reporting.

Investigators confirmed that they executed the arrest warrant for Yoon.

His lawyer Seok Dong-hyun said in a post on Facebook that the president had agreed leave his residence and meet investigators to prevent a "serious incident".

Yoon echoed that point in his video statement, saying that he agreed to appear before the CIO to "prevent any unsavoury bloodshed".

He also described the investigation as "illegal".

Image source, Yoon Suk Yeol

In a video statement, newly arrested president Yoon Suk Yeol says he has agreed to appear before the Corruption Investigation Office, which is leading the case against him.

"I decided to appear before the CIO, even though it is an illegal investigation, in order to prevent any unsavoury bloodshed," he says.

"However, this does not mean that I approve of their investigation."

In the short video - coming in just under 3 minutes - he said that the rule of law in the country had broken down, and that neither the agencies investigating him, nor the courts issuing them arrest warrants, had the power to do so.

He ended by saying "although these are dark days... the future of this country is hopeful".

"To my fellow citizens, I wish you all the best and stay strong. Thank you."

A motorcade, presumably carrying Yoon, has been seen driving out of his residence, local media reported.

This comes as the CIO said that investigators "executed the arrest warrant for Yoon" at 10:33 local time (01:53 GMT).

Stay with us as we get more updates on this development.

Yoon Suk Yeol has been arrested, according to authorities, in a historic moment for South Korea.

Yoon - who is being investigated for insurrection - is the first sitting president in the country to ever be arrested.

Image source, Getty Images

A star prosecutor-turned-politician, South Korea's now suspended president Yoon Suk Yeol rose to power after gaining popularity among conservative voters through an anti-feminist platform and a hawkish stance on North Korea.

But after he ascended to the presidency in 2022, he was dogged by personal scandals and an increasingly powerful opposition.

As his political troubles mounted, Yoon declared martial law on 3 December and plunged South Korea into political chaos.

That gamble turned out to be a failure, resulting in Yoon's impeachment by parliament and subsequent criminal investigations.

Now, the disgraced president is holed up in the presidential residence, as his presidential guard tries to prevent his arrest for a second time this month.

Read more about Yoon's rise and fall, and what led him to declare martial law.

It's just past 10:00 in Seoul (01:00 GMT) and emotions are running high in front of the presidential residence.

Yoon's arrest seems imminent after investigators got past barricades and made their way inside. Yoon's supporters, who scuffled with police, sobbed and prayed. Meanwhile, anti-Yoon protesters cheered.

These are the latest images we're seeing from the scene:

Image source, Reuters

Image source, BBC / Leehyun Choi

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, EPA-EFE