South Korean Investigators in Standoff Over Arrest of President Yoon
Daily Bijoy News Correspondent:
South Korean Investigators Attempt to Arrest Impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol Amid Standoff South Korean investigators on Friday attempted to arrest impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol at his residence over a failed martial law bid, but their efforts were blocked by security forces, local media reported.
Yoon, who has already been suspended from office by lawmakers, would become the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested if the warrant is executed.
The former president is facing severe charges following a botched martial law declaration on December 3, which sent shockwaves through South Korea's democratic system and briefly revived memories of the country’s military dictatorship era. He now faces the possibility of imprisonment or, in a worst-case scenario, the death penalty.
“The execution of the arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol has begun,” said the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO), which is investigating his short-lived martial law decree. Authorities were seen entering Yoon’s residence as part of the operation.
CIO investigators, including senior prosecutor Lee Dae-hwan, managed to get past several layers of security barricades to reach the residence, but were reportedly “blocked by a military unit inside,” according to Yonhap News Agency. Despite this, investigators were able to “move past” the military personnel and face off with members of the presidential security service.
It remained unclear whether the Presidential Security Service, which still protects Yoon as the incumbent head of state, would cooperate with the investigation. In previous instances, security personnel have prevented police from raiding the presidential residence, but it was not immediately clear which units were involved in blocking the investigators on Friday.
Yoon's legal team swiftly condemned the attempted arrest, calling the warrant “illegal” and “invalid.” “The execution of a warrant that is illegal and invalid is indeed unlawful,” said Yoon's lawyer, Yoon Kap-keun.
Outside the residence, dozens of police buses and hundreds of uniformed officers were stationed in preparation for potential confrontations. According to reports, about 2,700 police officers and 135 police buses were deployed to the area to manage tensions after Yoon's supporters clashed with anti-Yoon demonstrators the day before.
Yoon has remained inside his residence since a court approved the arrest warrant earlier this week, vowing to "fight" authorities seeking to question him about his martial law declaration.
Protests and Legal Challenges
South Korean media have reported that CIO officials plan to arrest Yoon and take him to their office in Gwacheon, near Seoul, for questioning. After being detained, Yoon could be held for up to 48 hours on the existing warrant, but investigators would need to apply for another arrest warrant to extend his custody.
Yoon's supporters, including far-right YouTube personalities and evangelical Christian preachers, staged chaotic protests on Thursday and camped out at his compound overnight. Some held all-night prayer sessions, chanting slogans like "Illegal warrant is invalid" and calling for the arrest of opposition leader Lee Jae-myung.
Pro-Yoon protester Rhee Kang-san told AFP that many were "rooting for the president" to survive the arrest attempt. Another supporter, Lee Hye-sook, emphasized the protesters' belief that opposition figures were trying to turn South Korea into a "socialist state" similar to North Korea.
Yoon's legal team had already filed an injunction with the Constitutional Court to block the warrant, arguing that it was unlawful. They also submitted an objection to the Seoul court that issued the arrest order.
However, CIO head Oh Dong-woon has warned that anyone attempting to obstruct the arrest could themselves face prosecution. Along with the arrest warrant, the Seoul court also issued a search warrant for Yoon's official residence and other locations.
Previous attempts to execute similar arrest warrants for lawmakers in South Korea have failed due to party members and supporters blocking police, including incidents in 2000 and 2004 when warrants were blocked for up to seven days.
Daily Bijoy News/ Wb