'The Day the Sitting President Was Arrested' No One in Politics Could Smile

People Power Party Calls for Suspension of Warrant Execution
"Illegal Warrant, History Will Record This"
Democratic Party, Once Calling for Suppression of Rebellion, Now Says
"Constitutional Order Must Be Restored Quickly"
Direction of Political Affairs Hinges on Handling of Special Investigation Bill on Rebellion and Bipartisan Agreement on the 16th

On the 15th, the political sphere was thrown into an emergency following the unprecedented arrest of President Yoon Suk-yeol in the history of the constitutional government. The ruling party pointed out the illegality of executing the arrest warrant against President Yoon, and as the arrest was confirmed, the atmosphere grew somber. The opposition, which had argued the inevitability of the arrest, responded with calm rather than agitation.

From early dawn, the political world was in a state of emergency regarding the execution of the arrest warrant. Each political party held urgent meetings at the leadership level from dawn to review the overall process related to the execution of the arrest warrant.

In particular, within the People Power Party, the leadership held a meeting at the National Assembly, while about 30 affiliated lawmakers voiced opposition to the execution of the arrest warrant at the presidential residence. Kwon Young-se, the emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, raised his voice, saying, "This is an illegal execution and must be stopped." Lawmakers who visited near the residence, including Kim Ki-hyun of the People Power Party, formed a human chain to block the police and the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Unit (Gong-su-cheo), but they were dispersed by the police.

President Yoon Suk-yeol is arriving at the Gwacheon Office of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials on the 15th, when the execution of the second arrest warrant was underway. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju

Contrary to expectations that the confrontation might become prolonged due to obstruction by the Security Office, the arrest warrant was executed swiftly, and the situation was mostly settled by the morning.

After the arrest was confirmed and President Yoon was escorted under the protection of the Security Office to the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Unit in Gwacheon, the People Power Party showed a deeply somber atmosphere. They were particularly distressed not only by the problems in the issuance and execution process of the arrest warrant but also by the fact that a sitting president had been arrested, despite being suspended from duty. At a party meeting held after President Yoon's arrest, Kwon Seong-dong, the floor leader of the People Power Party, said, "I am deeply sorry and regretful that such a tragic situation has occurred, causing the nation's dignity to collapse."

Yonhap News

He added, "An unimaginable event took place in broad daylight in 2025," and said, "I want to ask Gong Odong, the head of Gong-su-cheo, Woo Jong-su, the head of the National Investigation Headquarters, Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party, and Park Chan-dae, the floor leader, if they feel relieved now. Gong-su-cheo and the police executed an unjust and illegal warrant. The judiciary participated in this illegal warrant execution. The opposition intimidated Gong-su-cheo and the National Investigation Headquarters. History will surely record this." Kwon Young-se also pointed out procedural issues with Gong-su-cheo's arrest warrant and sharply criticized, saying, "There must be no neglect in the courtesy shown to the president."

The opposition party, which had advocated for the execution of the arrest warrant against President Yoon, also maintained a heavy atmosphere. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, told reporters, "It is truly regrettable," and added, "Now is the time to quickly restore constitutional order and focus on people's livelihoods and the economy."

The Democratic Party, which had declared that the "rebellion is still ongoing," now responded that the suppression and end of the rebellion had begun. Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the Democratic Party, calmly mentioned President Yoon's arrest at a party meeting and described it as "the first step toward restoring constitutional order and democracy and realizing the rule of law."

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending a party meeting held at the National Assembly on the 15th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

After the party meeting, Kang Yoo-jung, the Democratic Party's floor spokesperson, said, "If this is a very important stage in the process of suppressing and ending the rebellion, it can be viewed in four layers: the appointment of Ma Eun-hyuk as a constitutional court justice, the arrest and detention of President Yoon, the special investigation on the rebellion, and the national investigation on the rebellion." Kang also mentioned the special investigation law, saying, "At tomorrow's plenary session, any bill will pass, so I hope the People Power Party will propose one before then," and added, "Negotiations on the rebellion special investigation law are open."

Although the arrest phase was temporarily concluded with President Yoon's arrest, it remains difficult to find a clear direction for political recovery. The political sphere expects that the agreement on the rebellion special investigation law will serve as a kind of compass for managing the political situation. Since the ruling party has announced plans to propose its own special investigation bill, if the ruling and opposition parties produce a 'revised bill,' the situation may enter a genuine recovery phase. However, there are concerns that if the opposition passes its bill unilaterally, confusion may continue.