SEOUL, South Korea – South Korean investigators abandoned the official residence of accused President Yoon Suk Yeol after a nearly six-hour standoff during which he challenged their attempt to arrest him. It is the latest confrontation in a political crisis that has paralyzed South Korean politics and seen two heads of state removed in less than a month.
The country’s anti-graft agency said it recalled its investigators after the presidential security service prevented them from entering Yoon’s residence for hours due to concerns about his safety. The agency expressed “serious regret for the attitude of the suspect, who did not respond to a process in accordance with the law.”
Yoon, a former prosecutor, has challenged the investigators’ decision. try to question him for weeks. He was last known to leave the residence on December 12, when he went to the nearby presidential office to make a televised statement to the nation, in which he defiantly stated that he will fight efforts to overthrow him.
Investigators from the country’s anti-corruption agency are weighing rebellion charges after Yoon, apparently frustrated that his policies were blocked by an opposition-dominated parliament, martial law declared on December 3 and sent troops to surround the National Assembly.
Parliament annulled the declaration within hours in a unanimous vote and impeached Yoon on December 14, accusing him of rebellion, while South Korean anti-corruption authorities and prosecutors opened separate investigations into the events.
A Seoul court issued an arrest warrant for Yoon on Tuesday, but enforcing it is difficult as long as he remains at his official residence.
Yoon’s lawyers, who filed a challenge to the order on Thursday, say it cannot be enforced at his residence because of a law that protects places potentially linked to military secrets from searches without the consent of the person in charge.
The office said it would discuss further actions but did not immediately say whether it would make another attempt to detain Yoon. The arrest warrant is valid for one week.
Yoon’s lawyers have also argued that the Corruption Investigation Bureau for High-ranking Officials, which is leading a joint investigation with police and military investigators, lacks the authority to investigate rebellion charges. They said police officers do not have the legal authority to help detain Yoon and could face arrest by the “presidential security service or any citizen.” They did not provide further details about the claim.
If investigators manage to detain Yoon, they will likely ask a court for permission to make a formal arrest. Otherwise, he will be released after 48 hours.
Kwon Young-se, who heads the emergency leadership committee of Yoon’s conservative People Power Party, called the agency’s effort to detain Yoon “highly unfair and grossly inadequate,” saying there is no risk that Yoon will try flee or destroy evidence.
Thousands of police officers gathered at Yoon’s residence on Friday, forming a perimeter around a growing group of pro-Yoon protesters who braved freezing temperatures for hours, waving South Korean and American flags while chanting slogans promising to protect him. There were no immediate reports of major clashes outside the residence.
Dozens of investigators and police officers were seen entering the door of the residence in Seoul to execute an arrest warrant for Yoon, but the dramatic scene quickly escalated into a confrontation. Two of Yoon’s lawyers, Yoon Kap-keun and Kim Hong-il, were seen entering the gate of the presidential residence around noon. It was not immediately clear what the lawyers discussed with the president.
Seok Dong-hyeon, another lawyer on Yoon’s legal team, said the agency’s efforts to detain Yoon were “reckless” and showed a “shocking disregard for the law.”
South Korea’s Defense Ministry confirmed that investigators and police officers walked past a military unit guarding the grounds of the residence before reaching the building. The presidential security service, which controls the residence itself, declined to comment. South Korean television YTN reported clashes as investigators and police clashed with presidential security forces.
As the standoff progressed, the liberal opposition Democratic Party called on the country’s acting leader, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, to order the withdrawal of the presidential security service. Choi did not immediately comment on the situation.
“Do not drag the honest personnel of the presidential security service and other public officials into the depths of crime,” said Jo Seung-lae, a Democratic lawmaker. Choi must “remember that quickly addressing the rebellion and preventing further chaos is his responsibility,” Jo said.
Yoon’s defense minister, police chief and several top military commanders have already been arrested for their role in the martial law period.
Yoon’s presidential powers have been suspended since the National Assembly voted to impeach him on December 14. Yoon’s fate now rests with the Constitutional Court, which has begun deliberations on whether to confirm the ouster and formally remove Yoon from office or reinstate him. At least six judges of the nine-member Constitutional Court must vote in favor of removing him from office.
The National Assembly voted last week in favor impeach Prime Minister Han Duck-soowho became acting president after Yoon’s powers were suspended, due to his reluctance to hold three Constitutional Court vacancies before the judicial review of Yoon’s case.
Facing mounting pressure, new acting President Choi appointed two new judges on Tuesday, potentially increasing the court’s chances of upholding Yoon’s impeachment.