Authorities call off attempt to arrest South Korean president after standoff
Make us a preferred source
Make us a preferred source on Google
More news: South Korean authorities have reportedly called off their attempts to arrest impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol after being blocked by elite military forces, prompting an hours-long standoff at his Seoul residence.
Troops belonging to the Presidential Security Service refused to comply with a warrant for Yoon’s arrest over his bungled attempt to impose martial law last year, leaving the 30 anti-corruption investigators and 50 police investigators present at a dead end.
On Friday afternoon, the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) confirmed it had aborted the attempt over safety concerns, local media reported.
The warrant was issued on Tuesday and expires after seven days, but police decided to execute it early in the belief that a crowd of Yoon’s supporters, gathered to stymy their attempts, would only grow.
Yoon has remained at the residence since his impeachment on 14 December.
What they said: “Regarding the execution of the arrest warrant today, it was determined that the execution was effectively impossible due to the ongoing standoff. Concern for the safety of personnel on-site led to the decision to halt the execution,” the CIO said in a statement.
South Korean president set for arrest after martial law bungle
The news: South Korean authorities have moved to arrest President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is refusing to cooperate with an investigation into his bungled martial law declaration, local media reports.
The context: Yonhap News Agency reported on Friday that authorities entered Yoon’s residence to execute an arrest warrant for the president, whose short-lived declaration of martial law last month saw him impeached and suspended from power.
Yoon’s arrest would be unprecedented for an incumbent South Korean president.
His supporters camped outside the residence after news of the imminent arrest circulated, and they were reportedly involved in a standoff with police at the scene.
Yoon stunned observers by suddenly declaring martial law on 3 December, a move he claimed was designed to root out “anti-state forces”. He reversed the declaration within six hours, after lawmakers defied his orders — and troops surrounding parliament — by voting against it.
The move also sparked a criminal investigation by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), which issued an arrest warrant after Yoon repeatedly refused to submit himself for questioning.
Yoon has been unrepentant, rejecting calls for his resignation and launching a legal challenge against his impeachment. The Constitutional Court, one of the country’s highest, is expected to rule on the challenge this week.
What they said: “We have begun executing a detention warrant for President Yoon," the CIO said in a statement.
The sources: Yonhap News Agency , Reuters, The Seoul Times
