By Eduardo Baptista, Hyunsu Yim and Joyce Lee
SEOUL (Reuters) – Authorities entered South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s compound on Friday to execute an unprecedented arrest warrant, avoiding a crowd of protesters outside, but were confronted by security forces presidential elections inside.
It was unclear whether the Presidential Security Service (PSS), which previously blocked investigators’ access to Yoon’s office and official residence with a search warrant, would attempt to prevent his arrest.
Yoon is under criminal investigation for insurrection following his attempted martial law on Dec. 3 that stunned South Korea, Asia’s fourth-largest economy and one of the region’s fastest-growing democracies.
An arrest would be the first for a sitting South Korean president.
Officials from the Senior Corruption Investigation Office (CIO), which leads a joint team of investigators including police and prosecutors, arrived at the gates of the Yoon compound shortly after 7 a.m. (2200 GMT Thursday ), according to Reuters Witnesses.
IOC vehicles did not immediately enter the compound, in part because of a bus blocking the driveway.
Some IOC officials then walked through an open gate and past the bus, but then briefly confronted another bus and an armored vehicle further down the aisle, before being moved.
Once inside the complex, the IOC and accompanying police faced cordons of PSS personnel, as well as military troops seconded to presidential security, media reported. South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense said the troops were under the control of the PSS.
Yonhap News Agency quoted the PSS chief as saying that authorities are not authorized to search Yoon’s residence.
Yoon’s lawyer said in a statement Friday that executing an invalid arrest warrant against Yoon was illegal and that they would take legal action, without elaborating.
Protesters gathered before dawn near the residence, and their numbers swelled into the hundreds as media reported that investigating authorities would soon attempt to execute the arrest warrant that was approved Tuesday after Yoon refused to appear in court.
“We must block them at the risk of our lives,” others were heard saying.
Some chanted “President Yoon Suk Yeol will be protected by the people” and called for the IOC chief’s arrest.
Pyeong In-su, 74, said police should be stopped by “patriotic citizens,” a term Yoon used to describe those standing guard near his residence.
Holding a flag of the United States and South Korea with the words “Let’s go together” in English and Korean, Pyeong said he hoped new U.S. President Donald Trump would come to Yoon’s aid.
“I hope that after Trump is inaugurated, he can use his influence to help our country get back on track,” he said.
The current arrest warrant is valid until January 6 and only gives investigators 48 hours to detain Yoon after his arrest. Investigators must then decide whether to seek a detention warrant or release him.
Once arrested, Yoon is expected to be held at the Seoul detention center, Yonhap news agency said, citing the IOC.
SURPRISE MARTIAL LAW
Yoon sent shockwaves across the country when he announced late on the night of December 3 that he was imposing martial law to break the political deadlock and eradicate “anti-state forces.”
However, within hours, 190 lawmakers defied troop and police lines to vote against Yoon’s order. About six hours after his initial decree, Yoon rescinded it.
He later defiantly defended his decision, saying his domestic political opponents sympathized with North Korea and citing uncorroborated allegations of election tampering.
Kim Yong-hyun, who resigned as Yoon’s defense minister after playing a major role in declaring martial law, was arrested and charged last week with insurrection and abuse of power.
Insurrection is one of the few criminal charges from which a South Korean president does not have immunity.
Yoon’s lawyers said the arrest warrant was illegal and invalid because the IOC did not have the authority under South Korean law to seek a warrant.
Yoon has been isolated since he was impeached and suspended from power on December 14.
Separate from the criminal investigation, his indictment case is currently before the Constitutional Court to decide whether to reinstate him or permanently dismiss him. A second hearing in the case is scheduled for later Friday.
(This story has been refiled to correct a typo in paragraph 1)
