Seoul, South Korea — South Korean investigators left the official residence of deposed President Yoon Suk Yeol after a nearly six-hour standoff in which he defied 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 indicted in less than a month.
The country’s anti-graft agency said it withdrew its investigators after presidential security blocked them from entering Yoon’s residence for hours over concerns about their safety.
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The agency indicated that its investigators, outnumbered, had several scuffles with the presidential security forces and expressed “serious regrets regarding the attitude of the suspect, who did not respect the legal procedure.”
The National Police Agency said it planned to investigate the head and deputy heads of the presidential security service on suspicion of obstructing the performance of their official duties and summoned them for questioning on Saturday .
Yoon, a former prosecutor, resisted investigators’ attempts to question him for weeks. The last time he left the residence was on December 12, when he went to the nearby presidential office to make a televised statement to the nation, defiantly declaring that he would 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 overturned the statement within hours in a unanimous vote and impeached Yoon on December 14, charging him with 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 enforcement is complicated as long as he remains at his official residence.
Yoon’s lawyers, who challenged the arrest warrant Thursday, say it cannot be executed at his home because of a law that protects places potentially linked to military secrets from searches without the consent of the police. responsible person.
The office said it would discuss further measures, but did not immediately say whether it would make another attempt to arrest Yoon. The arrest warrant against him is valid for one week.
Yoon’s lawyers also argued that the Senior Officials Corruption Investigation Bureau, which is conducting a joint investigation with police and military investigators, does not have the authority to investigate corruption. accusations of rebellion. They said the officers did not have the legal authority to help arrest Yoon and could be arrested either by the “presidential security service or by any citizen.” They did not provide further details on this claim.
If investigators succeed in arresting Yoon, they will likely ask the 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-graft agency’s withdrawal regrettable and urged the agency to make another attempt to arrest Yoon on Friday.
Kwon Young-se, who heads the emergency steering committee of Yoon’s conservative People Power Party, called the agency’s efforts to arrest Yoon “very unfair and extremely inappropriate,” saying there is no There was no risk that Yoon would try to flee or destroy evidence.
Thousands of police 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 it. No major clashes were immediately reported outside the residence.
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Dozens of investigators and police officers were seen rushing through the gate of the residence in Seoul to execute an arrest warrant for Yoon, 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 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 arrest Yoon were “reckless” and demonstrated an “outrageous rejection of the law.”
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South Korea’s Defense Ministry confirmed that investigators and police passed a military unit guarding the grounds of the residence before arriving at the building. The presidential security service, which itself controls the residence, declined to comment. South Korean television YTN reported scuffles between investigators and police clashing with presidential security forces.
As the confrontation progressed, Democrats called on the country’s interim leader, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, to order the withdrawal of presidential security services. Choi did not immediately comment on the situation.
“Don’t drag honest presidential security personnel and other public officials into the depths of criminality,” said Jo Seung-lae, a Democratic lawmaker. Choi must “remember that quickly tackling 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 during 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 in the hands of 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 his dismissal.
The National Assembly voted last week to remove Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who became interim president after Yoon’s suspension of power, over his reluctance to fill three vacancies on the Constitutional Court before the review of the Yoon’s case by the Court.
Facing growing pressure, new interim President Choi appointed two new judges on Tuesday, which could increase the court’s chances of upholding Yoon’s impeachment.