President Yoon Suk-yeol is announcing a statement to the public before the execution of the first arrest warrant for a sitting president in the constitutional history at his official residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul on the morning of Nov. 15. /Courtesy of Presidential Legal Counsel Group

President Yoon Suk-yeol said on the 15th, “I have decided to comply with the summons of the Corruption Investigation Office, even though it is an illegal investigation, to prevent an unfortunate bloody incident after witnessing it invade the security zone using firefighting equipment.”

On that day, shortly after his arrest, President Yoon released a statement titled ‘A message to the people,’ saying, ‘I do not acknowledge the investigation by the Corruption Investigation Office.’

Earlier, at 10:33 a.m., President Yoon was arrested by the Corruption Investigation Office and police. This is the first time in constitutional history that a sitting president has been arrested. After being arrested at the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, he left in a vehicle and arrived at the Corruption Investigation Office located in the Gyeonggi-do Government Complex Gwacheon at 10:53 a.m.

President Yoon stated, “Unfortunately, the law has completely collapsed in this country,” adding, “Seeing that an arrest warrant is issued by a court that has no authority to review warrants, and that investigative agencies issue false official documents to deceive the public, I cannot help but be appalled by the implementation of such a blatant illegal procedure under invalid warrants.”

He added, “Even if I am suffering such disadvantages, I hope that our citizens will not experience anything like this when facing criminal cases in the future.”

President Yoon remarked, “Seeing that the youth, in particular, have truly re-recognized the value of liberal democracy and demonstrated their passion for it, I believe that although the law is collapsing and we are in a pitch-black dark time, there is hope for the future of this country.”

The following is the full text.

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A message to the people

Dear citizens, I hope you have been well during this time.

I sincerely thank you for your support and many messages of encouragement.

Unfortunately, the law has completely collapsed in this country.

Seeing that an arrest warrant is issued by an agency without investigative authority, and that a court without authority to review warrants issues arrest warrants and search warrants, while investigative agencies deceive the public with false official documents, this blatant implementation of illegal procedures under invalid warrants is truly appalling.

I hope that even if I suffer such disadvantages, our citizens will not experience anything like this in future criminal cases.

Today, I have decided to comply with the summons of the Corruption Investigation Office, even though it is an illegal investigation, to prevent an unfortunate bloody incident after witnessing them invade the security zone using firefighting equipment.

However, I do not acknowledge the investigation by the Corruption Investigation Office.

As president, who must safeguard the Constitution and the legal system of the Republic of Korea, complying with such illegal and invalid procedures is merely an act to prevent an unfortunate bloody incident, not an acknowledgment of the situation.

I have seen that our citizens, especially the youth, have truly re-recognized the value of liberal democracy and demonstrated their passion for it. Even though the law is collapsing and we are in a pitch-black dark time, I hold the belief that the future of this country is hopeful.

Citizens, I hope you stay healthy and keep your spirits up.

Thank you.