South Korea Detains Former President Yoon for a Second Time

South Korea's disgraced former president Yoon Suk Yeol was detained for a second time on July 10 over his declaration of martial law and held in a solitary cell as investigators widened their insurrection probe.

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SEOUL -

Yoon plunged South Korea into a political crisis when he sought to subvert civilian rule on Dec 3, 2024, sending armed soldiers to Parliament in a bid to prevent lawmakers voting down his declaration of martial law.

He became South Korea's first sitting president to be taken into custody when he was detained in a dawn raid in January, after he spent weeks resisting arrest, using his presidential security detail to head off investigators.

Yoon was released from detention on procedural grounds in March after the Seoul Central District Court overturned his January arrest, allowing him to stand trial for insurrection without being held in custody.

In April, Yoon was formally removed from office after his impeachment was upheld by the country's Constitutional Court.

After Yoon's impeachment was confirmed by the court that month, he again refused several summonses from a special counsel launched by Parliament to investigate his martial law attempt, prompting prosecutors to seek his arrest on June 24.