section_path: Declaration of martial law/Arrest warrant, political standoff and arrest
section_name: Arrest warrant, political standoff and arrest
paragraph_text: Arrest warrant, political standoff and arrest
  
  Yoon was summoned thrice by the CIO for questioning on 18, 25, and 29 December over his declaration of martial law. He refused to attend any of the summons.
  
  On 31 December, the Seoul Western District Court issued an arrest warrant for Yoon with charges relating to abuse of power and orchestration of the martial law declaration. Yoon holed himself up in the presidential residence where hundreds of his supporters gathered and engaged in clashes with police and opponents of Yoon. On 1 January 2025, he released a statement to his supporters pledging to "fight alongside you to the very end to protect this nation". On 3 January, authorities tried to carry out the warrant at the presidential compound but abandoned the attempt after being physically blocked by the Presidential Security Service. After the warrant expired on 6 January, the Seoul Western District Court extended the warrant the next day.
  
  On 15 January, Yoon was arrested by the police and the CIO, making him the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested. On 17 January, Yoon's criminal defense team petitioned the Seoul Central District Court for a habeas corpus review, but the court rejected it the next day. He was detained at the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, and was placed in solitary confinement. On 18 January, the Seoul Western District Court issued a formal arrest warrant on the grounds that Yoon posed a risk of destroying evidence, extending Yoon's detainment to 20 days pending the prosecutors' decision on indictment. On 26 January, Yoon was indicted on charges of being the "ringleader of an insurrection". On 7 March, the Seoul Central District Court canceled Yoon's arrest warrant, citing procedural flaws. He was released the next day.