Seoul, South Korea – South Korean investigators left the official residence of ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol after a nearly six-hour standoff during which he defied their attempt to detain him. It is the latest clash in a political crisis that has paralyzed South Korean politics and seen two deposed heads of state in less than a month.
The country’s anti-corruption agency said it withdrew its investigators after the presidential security service prevented them from entering Yoon’s residence for hours over concerns about his safety.
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The agency said its outnumbered investigators had several clashes with presidential security forces and expressed “grave regret for the attitude of the suspect, who did not comply with the legal process.”
The National Police Agency said it planned to investigate the head and deputy heads of the presidential security service on suspicion of obstructing official duty and summoned them for questioning on Saturday.
Yoon, a former prosecutor, has defied investigators’ attempts 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 address to the nation, defiantly declaring that he will fight efforts to oust 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. declared martial law on December 3 and sent troops to surround the National Assembly.
Parliament revoked the declaration within hours in a unanimous vote and impeached Yoon on December 14, charging him with rebellion, while South Korea’s anti-corruption authorities and prosecutors opened separate investigations into the incidents.
A Seoul court issued an arrest warrant for Yoon on Tuesday, but enforcing it is complicated as long as he remains in 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 locations potentially linked to military secrets from being searched without the consent of the responsible person
The office said it will 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 probe with police and military investigators, lacks the authority to investigate the rebellion charges. They said police officers do not have the legal authority to help arrest Yoon and could be arrested by the “presidential security service or any citizen.” They did not elaborate further on the claim.
If investigators succeed in arresting Yoon, they will likely ask a court for permission to make a formal arrest. Otherwise, he will be released after 48 hours.
Park Chan-dae, leader of the liberal opposition Democratic Party, called the anti-corruption agency’s withdrawal regrettable and urged the agency to make another attempt to arrest Yoon on Friday.
Kwon Young-se, who heads the emergency leadership committee of Yoon’s People’s Power Party, called the agency’s effort to arrest Yoon “very unfair and extremely inappropriate,” saying there is no risk of Yoon trying to run away or destroy evidence.
Thousands of police officers converged on 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 U.S. flags while they chanted slogans promising to protect him. There were no immediate reports of major clashes outside the residence.
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Dozens of investigators and police officers were seen entering the door of the Seoul residence to execute a warrant for Yoon’s arrest, but the dramatic scene quickly turned into a standoff. Two of Yoon’s lawyers, Yoon Kap-keun and Kim Hong-il, were seen walking through the door 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 arrest Yoon were “reckless” and showed an “outrageous disregard for the law.”
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South Korea’s Defense Ministry confirmed that investigators and police officers passed 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 Korea’s YTN television reported scuffles as investigators and police clashed with presidential security forces.
As the standoff raged, Democrats called on the country’s acting leader, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, to order the resignation of the presidential security service. Choi did not immediately comment on the situation.
“Do not drag the upright 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 your responsibility,” Jo said.
Yoon’s defense minister, police chief and several top military commanders have already been arrested for their roles 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 uphold the impeachment 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 last week voted to impeach Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who became acting president after Yoon’s suspension, over his reluctance to fill three vacancies on the Constitutional Court before the Yoon’s case review.
Facing mounting pressure, new acting President Choi appointed two new judges on Tuesday, potentially increasing the court’s chances of upholding Yoon’s impeachment.