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Investigators
abandon attempt to arrest South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol
Officials
entered the presidential compound to find themselves blocked by troops under
the control of the presidential security service
Justin
McCurry in Osaka, Raphael Rashid in Seoul and agencies
Fri 3 Jan
2025 03.32 EST
South
Korea’s political crisis took a dramatic turn on Friday when investigators were
forced to abandon an attempt to arrest the impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol,
after a tense standoff with his security forces.
Hours after
they entered the presidential compound in Seoul, anti-corruption officials said
they were halting their attempt to execute a warrant to detain Yoon over
allegations that his martial law declaration in December amounted to an
insurrection.
“Regarding
the execution of the arrest warrant today, it was determined that the execution
was effectively impossible due to the ongoing standoff,” the Corruption
Investigation Office said in a statement. “Concern for the safety of personnel
on-site led to the decision to halt the execution.”
The
investigators’ office said it would discuss further action but did not
immediately say whether it would make another attempt to detain Yoon. The
warrant for his detention will expire on Monday.
The US
Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, is set to arrive in South Korea the same
day for talks between the two allies.
The
confrontation unfolded on a freezing winter’s day in Seoul, as an estimated
1,200 Yoon supporters gathered outside his official residence while police and
other officials inside attempted to execute an arrest warrant – the first for a
sitting South Korean president.
Local media
reports said anti-corruption officials – who are leading a joint team of police
and prosecutors – entered the compound to find themselves blocked by troops
under the control of the presidential security service.
The Yonhap
news agency said the team comprised 30 people from the anti-corruption office
and 120 police, 70 of whom were initially waiting outside the residence
compound.
Having
managed to find a way past the troops, officials were confronted by other
security service staff, raising doubts over whether Yoon, who was impeached in
mid-December over his short-lived declaration of martial law, would be arrested
on Friday.
The warrant
was issued on Tuesday after Yoon again ignored a court order to submit himself
for questioning over the insurrection allegations.
Investigators
released a statement saying they had “started executing” the arrest warrant,
but Yoon’s lawyers later said they would take immediate legal action to block
it, describing it as “illegal and invalid”.
The lawyers
said the warrant could not be enforced at the presidential residence due to a
law that prevents locations potentially linked to military secrets from being
search without the consent of the person in charge – in this case Yoon.
Seok
Dong-hyeon, one of the lawyers, said the anti-corruption agency’s efforts to
detain Yoon were “reckless” and showed an “outrageous discard for the law”.
If he is
eventually detained, Yoon, who was impeached by parliament last month, would
become the first sitting president to be arrested. The anti-corruption agency
would then have 48 hours to investigate him and either request a warrant for
his formal arrest or release him. He would be held at the Seoul Detention
Center, Yonhap added.
Yoon’s
defence minister, police chief and several top military commanders have already
been arrested over their roles in the martial law declaration.
While the
country’s constitutional court decides whether to uphold the impeachment vote –
a move that would trigger an election for a new president – Yoon appears ready
to continue defying anti-corruption officials over his martial law edict.
He declared
martial law on 3 December in an attempt to root out what he described as
“anti-state, pro-North Korean” forces – a reference to opposition MPs in the
national assembly. He did not provide any evidence for those claims, however.
He was
forced to lift the order six hours later after lawmakers forced their way past
troops into the parliament building to vote it down.
The criminal
allegations against Yoon, an ultra conservative whose two and a half years in
office have been marred by scandal and policy gridlock, are serious.
Insurrection
is one of the few crimes from which South Korean presidents do not have
immunity, and comes with penalties that can include life imprisonment or even
the death penalty.
Fears that
protesters would physically block the investigators were not realised, but the
raid took place amid a huge security presence. The broadcaster YTN reported
that 2,800 police had been mobilised in the area, along with 135 police buses
that have been positioned to create a barrier.
Protesters
have maintained a round-the-clock vigil outside the residence and the
atmosphere was charged.
A makeshift
stage hosted impassioned speeches, with one woman appearing to break down in
tears when describing Yoon’s situation. Another declared: “Ladies and
gentlemen, President Yoon is truly remarkable... I love President Yoon Suk
Yeol”.
Supporters,
mostly elderly though with some younger faces present, gathered around tables
offering tea and instant noodles. Many in the crowd insisted Yoon’s martial law
declaration had been constitutional and justified.
One pro-Yoon
protestor was heard saying to fellow demonstrators that they had to block the
investigators “with our lives”. Others chanted: “President Yoon Suk Yeol will
be protected by the people,” and called for the head of the corruption office
to be arrested.
Pyeong
In-su, 74, said the police had to be stopped by “patriotic citizens” – a term
Yoon has used to describe people standing guard near his residence.
Holding a
US-South Korea flag with the words “Let’s go together” written on it in English
and Korean, Pyeong said he hoped Donald Trump would come to Yoon’s aid after he
becomes president later this month.
“I hope
after Trump’s inauguration he can use his influence to help our country get
back on the right track,” he said.
Extra
edition newspapers are displayed at a subway gate in downtown Seoul on December
4, 2024, after martial law was lifted by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol
Yoon, who
has been holed up inside his residence since his impeachment, had previously
told supporters in a letter he would “fight until the end”.
“I am
watching on YouTube live all the hard work you are doing,” he wrote late on
Wednesday.
“I will
fight until the end to protect this country together with you,” he said in the
letter, a photo capture of which was sent to the media by Seok Dong-hyeon, a
lawyer advising Yoon.
Even the
country’s traditionally conservative media have taken an unusually harsh
stance. The influential Chosun Ilbo’s editorial condemned Yoon’s behaviour as
“deeply inappropriate for a president with a prosecutor background”.
Meanwhile,
the Dong-A Ilbo delivered a scathing critique, describing the situation as
“beyond embarrassing and reaching a deplorable level”, and criticised Yoon for
continuing to rely on extreme supporters rather than taking responsibility for
what it called “a month that has left the country in tatters” following his
martial law declaration.
Yoon has
refused to back down from his uncorroborated claims that some members of the
national assembly were pro-North Koreans determined to bring down the South
Korean state, describing his martial law declaration as a legitimate “act of
governance”. He has also aired unsupported allegations of election tampering.
What happens
next is unclear, with several options available to investigators before the
arrest warrant expires on 6 January. The anti-corruption office could attempt
another arrest, seek a warrant extension, or pursue a pre-trial detention
warrant that would require less immediate physical enforcement. Meanwhile,
police have filed obstruction of justice charges against the head and deputy
head of the presidential security service, who have been summoned for
questioning.
A second
constitutional court hearing in the impeachment case, which is separate from
the criminal investigation, was scheduled for later on Friday.
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