Thousands have braved the frigid January weather in Seoul protests, waving South Korean and American flags and shouting vows to protect their embattled conservative hero, the impeached South Korean president facing imprisonment over potential rebellion charges.

Yoon Suk Yeol has become the first sitting president in South Korean history to be arrested by law enforcement agents, after his compound was finally breached on Wednesday by officials investigating his failed attempt to impose martial law.

Yoon’s detention, after a tense standoff outside the presidential residence, marks the latest chapter in a bewildering series of events since his martial law decree.