On Wednesday afternoon, investigators said that Yoon has been questioned but has invoked the right to remain silent. He has been questioned since 11:00 local time on Wednesday and will enter a second round of questioning on Wednesday afternoon.

Yoon is expected to be detained overnight at the Seoul Detention Centre in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, approximately 5km (3 mi) 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.

While the arrest of a sitting president is remarkable for South Korean politics, the country’s political crisis is far from over.

The crowds outside Yoon’s house on Wednesday morning have underscored deep divisions in the country.

While on one hand, the anti-Yoon crowd cheered, clapped and blasted out a “congratulations and celebrations” song at the announcement of his arrest – the atmosphere on the other end was completely different.

“We are very upset and angry – the rule of law has broken down,” a Yoon supporter had told the BBC.

The vast majority of South Koreans agree that Yoon’s declaration of martial law on 3 Dec was wrong and that he needs to be held accountable, but they cannot agree on what accountability looks like, Duyeon Kim, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security had earlier told the BBC.

All this adds to the current political uncertainty.

The standoff has also pitted two branches of executive power against each other: law enforcement officers, armed with a legal arrest warrant and presidential security staff, who said they were duty bound to protect the suspended president.