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Investigators in South Korea have called off an attempt to arrest Yoon Suk Yeol, ending a nearly six-hour standoff with the impeached president’s security service.
The state’s anti-corruption agency said it was suspending the execution of a warrant for Mr. Yoon’s arrest because of concerns for the safety of police officers who went to arrest him.
The agency expressed “serious regret for the attitude of the suspect, who did not respond to the process according to the law.”
A team of 120 police officers and 30 officers from the Office of Corruption Investigation tried to enter the presidential palace after 7 a.m. local time to execute an arrest warrant.
They were confronted by the personnel of the presidential security service, who blocked their way.
Mr. Yoon is the first South Korean president to face arrest. Court in Seoul on Tuesday issued an arrest warrant asked for prosecutors are investigating whether Mr. Yoon’s statement martial law last month amounted to rebellion.
Mr. Yoon’s lawyer said on Friday that the execution of the invalid warrant against Mr. Yoon was illegal and that they would take legal action.
Investigators say they faced a human wall of 200 people and major clashes
Investigators said they faced a human wall of about 200 people at the presidential palace after suspending the execution of Yoon Suk Yeol’s arrest warrant.
The office for the investigation of corruption announced that they were outnumbered by the presidential security service and that they could not pass, Yonhap reported.
Investigators reported that there were “various small and large fights” during the conflict.
Shweta Sharma3 January 2025 06:11
South Korea’s president vows to ‘fight to the end’ as he faces arrest
South Koreadeposed president Yoon Suk Yeol vowed to “fight to the end” as authorities sent investigators to execute a warrant for his arrest over his shocking attempted rape state of emergency.
As his lawyers warned that police trying to arrest him on behalf of South Korea’s anti-corruption agency would themselves face arrest “either by the presidential security service or any citizen”, Mr Yoon sent a defiant message to supporters who gathered in front of his residence in Seoul.
Mr Yoon vowed to “fight to the end” against anti-state forces that “violate our sovereignty” and put the nation in “danger”, while his lawyers argued that any attempt by the anti-corruption agency to use police units to detain him would exceed their legal authority.
The message was quickly condemned by South Korea’s Democratic Party, which accused Mr. Yoon of “trying to stage a rebellion” and encouraged his supporters to obstruct efforts to detain him. South Korean law allows anyone to make an arrest to stop an active crime.
Shweta Sharma3 January 2025 06:01
Interim leader of South Korea’s ruling party welcomes suspension of arrests
Interim leader of South Korea’s ruling party, Kwon Young Se, welcomed the suspension of attempts to arrest Yoon Suk Yeol.
The head of the People’s Power Party said Mr. Yoon must be investigated without his arrest.
He said the attempted arrest was unjustified and must not be repeated.
Shweta Sharma3 January 2025 05:56
Hundreds of Yoon supporters burst into celebration
Hundreds of supporters of President Yoon Suk Yeol who had gathered outside the presidential palace to protest his arrest burst into celebration after the arrest team announced its decision to withdraw.
Protesters danced and cheered, chanting, “We won!”
Pro-Yoon protesters battled for hours in freezing temperatures, waving South Korean and American flags while chanting slogans in his support.
They raised “Stop The Steal” flags to protest his arrest.
Shweta Sharma3 January 2025 05:34
Arrest team leaves presidential residence ‘due to protracted standoff’
South Korean investigators left the president’s official residence after a nearly six-hour standoff during which he defied their attempt to detain him.
In a statement, the investigators said that “they estimate that an arrest is practically impossible due to the ongoing conflict.”
“We are concerned about the safety of the team on the field,” it added.
They said the next steps would be planned after the audit.
“The attitude of the accused who refused the legal process… we consider deeply regrettable”. The agency expressed “serious regret for the attitude of the suspect, who did not respond to the legal process.”
Shweta Sharma3 January 2025 05:06
Arrest Team to suspend the execution of Yoon – Yonhap’s arrest warrant
Investigators from the Bureau of Corruption Investigation for Senior Officials announced that they will suspend the execution of the arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol, Yonhap reported.
Shweta Sharma3 January 2025 04:45
North Korea says the South is in chaos
North Korea’s state media today reported on the crisis in neighboring South Korea, describing the situation as “politically paralyzed and socially chaotic.”
“An unprecedented impeachment took place in puppet South Korea after the Dec. 3 martial law incident, and a detention order was issued for the president, paralyzing state affairs and further deepening social and political chaos,” the Korean Central News Agency reported.
The report detailed the political chaos, including the impending execution of an arrest warrant against impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Foreign media have criticized South Korea as being drawn even deeper into a political storm, KCNA said.
North Korea has remained mostly tight-lipped about developments in South Korea and first reported it on December 16, days after the failed state of emergency.
The report was published on page six of the daily Rodong Sinmun, which is intended for the widest readership in North Korea.
Shweta Sharma3 January 2025 04:35
Two military commanders indicted by prosecutors
Prosecutors on Friday indicted Army Chief Park An Su and Special Forces Commander Kwak Jong Geun for their alleged roles in imposing martial law on the orders of Yoon Suk Yeol.
Army chief Park, who served as emergency commander, and Mr. Kwak have been remanded in custody on charges of sedition and abuse of power, according to Yonhap.
Mr Kwak is accused of sending special operations forces to the National Assembly on Mr Yoon’s orders to secure the building.
Shweta Sharma3 January 2025 04:01
Who is Yoon Suk Yeol, the deposed president of South Korea who declared a state of emergency?
oon Suk Yeol, who narrowly won the presidency in 2022, has faced increasing unpopularity since taking office.
Already weakened by his party’s defeat in parliamentary elections earlier this year, his approval rating had fallen to 17 percent before this week’s events.
The chaos began on December 3 when Mr. Yoon vindicated himself state of emergency declaration citing threats from North Korea and the need to eliminate “anti-state elements”.
But the move was widely seen as an attempt to consolidate power in the face of his domestic struggles. Within hours, lawmakers, some from his People Power Party, rushed into the National Assembly to block the order, while thousands of protesters took to the streets of Seoul.
Read my colleague Namit Singh’s report
Shweta Sharma3 January 2025 03:55