Following a several-hour standoff between investigators from South Korea’s anti-corruption agency and presidential security personnel, an attempt to arrest impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday was unsuccessful.
After being prevented from entering the president’s official residence for almost six hours due to security concerns, investigators departed.
The agency expressed “deep regret” regarding the president’s non-compliance with legal procedures.
Yoon, who had briefly declared martial law, has resisted investigators’ attempts to question him for weeks. Since delivering a televised address to the nation on December 12th from a nearby presidential office, vowing to fight his removal from office, he has remained at his residence.
Apparently frustrated by the opposition-controlled parliament’s blocking of his policies, Yoon declared martial law on December 3rd and deployed troops to surround the parliament building.
Parliament unanimously overturned the declaration within hours and impeached Yoon on December 14th, citing rebellion. Separate investigations have been launched by anti-corruption authorities and prosecutors.
A Seoul court issued a warrant for Yoon’s arrest on Tuesday; however, enforcement is complicated by his presence at his official residence.
Yoon’s lawyers, who challenged the warrant on Thursday, argue that its enforcement at his residence is prohibited by a law protecting locations potentially containing military secrets from searches without the consent of the person in charge.
The agency stated it would consider further actions but didn’t immediately indicate whether another arrest attempt would be made. The warrant remains valid for a week.
If investigators succeed in apprehending him, they will likely seek a court’s permission for a formal arrest. Otherwise, he will be released after 48 hours.
Thousands gathered outside Yoon’s residence on Friday, forming a perimeter around a growing number of pro-Yoon protesters who endured sub-freezing temperatures for hours, waving South Korean and American flags and chanting in his support.
No significant clashes were reported outside the residence.
Nearly five hours after numerous investigators and police officers arrived at the Seoul residence to execute the arrest warrant, a standoff ensued. Two of Yoon’s lawyers, Yoon Kap-keun and Kim Hong-il, were seen entering the residence’s gate around noon.
While it remains unclear if investigators accessed Yoon’s residence, South Korea’s YTN television reported altercations between investigators/police and presidential security forces.
Since the National Assembly’s impeachment vote on December 14th, Yoon’s presidential powers have been suspended. His fate now rests with the Constitutional Court, which is deliberating whether to uphold the impeachment, formally removing him, or reinstating him. A minimum of six out of nine justices must vote for removal from office.