South Korean Friday, investigators tried to arrest the impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol over its short duration martial law decree last month, as hundreds of his supporters gathered near his residence in Seoul, vowing to protect him.
About 20 investigators from the Senior Officials Corruption Investigation Bureau and police officers were seen entering the gate of Yoon’s residence in Seoul to execute an arrest warrant against him.
It was unclear whether the president would cooperate with authorities trying to arrest him. Yoon, in a defiant New Year’s message to conservative supporters gathered outside his residence, said he would “fight to the end” against “anti-state forces.” His lawyers called the warrant for his arrest “invalid” and “illegal.”
The anti-graft agency did not immediately confirm whether investigators had managed to enter Yoon’s residential building or were in conflict with presidential security personnel.
Investigators from the anti-graft agency were seen loading boxes into several vehicles before leaving their building in Gwacheon City early in the morning. Television footage later showed some of these vehicles weaving between police buses that crowded and barricaded the streets near Yoon’s residence.
A Seoul court issued an arrest warrant for Yoon on Tuesday after he evaded several requests to appear for questioning and blocked searches of his Seoul office, hampering an investigation into whether his ill-conceived power grab December 3 amounted to a rebellion.
The warrant is valid for one week and investigators could try to arrest Yoon again if they are unsuccessful Friday.
Thousands of police officers gathered outside Yoon’s residence and formed a perimeter around a growing number of pro-Yoon protesters, who waved South Korean flags and shouted slogans of support. No clashes were immediately reported.
If Yoon is arrested, the anti-corruption agency will have 48 hours to investigate him and either seek a formal arrest warrant against him or release him. Yoon’s defense minister, police chief and several top military commanders have already been arrested for their roles in enacting martial law.
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Yoon’s lawyers argued the court’s arrest warrant was invalid, saying the anti-graft agency lacked legal authority to investigate the rebellion charges. They also accuse the court of circumventing a law that states that places potentially linked to military secrets cannot be seized or searched without the consent of the person responsible.
Oh Dong-woon, the anti-graft agency’s chief prosecutor, said police forces could be deployed if Yoon’s security resists the arrest attempt.
But Yoon’s legal team issued a statement on Thursday warning that any attempt by the anti-corruption agency to use police units for his detention would exceed their legal authority. The lawyers said the officers could be arrested either by the “presidential security services or by any citizen” if they tried to arrest Yoon. They did not provide further details on this claim.
South Korean law allows anyone to make an arrest to stop an active crime, and critics have accused Yoon of inciting his supporters to obstruct attempts to arrest him.
Yoon Kap-keun, the president’s lawyer, filed a motion with the Seoul Western District Court on Thursday to block both the detention warrant for Yoon Suk Yeol and a related search warrant for his residence. The lawyer argued that both warrants violated criminal laws and the constitution.
The liberal opposition Democratic Party, which led the legislative vote that indicted Yoon Suk Yeol on Dec. 14 for imposing martial law, accused the president of trying to mobilize his supporters to block his detention and said called on law enforcement authorities to execute the arrest warrant. immediately.
Braving freezing temperatures, thousands of Yoon’s supporters gathered for hours Thursday near his residence amid a heavy police presence, waving South Korean and U.S. flags while chanting, “Cancel the impeachment!” and “We will protect President Yoon Suk Yeol!” Police cleared some protesters who had been lying on a road leading to the entrance to Yoon’s residence, but there were no immediate reports of any major clashes.
Some experts say the anti-corruption agency, which is conducting a joint investigation with police and military authorities, would not risk coming into conflict with Yoon’s security services, which have said they will ensure Yoon’s safety in accordance with the law. The office may instead issue another subpoena for Yoon to be questioned if he is unable to execute the detention warrant by the Jan. 6 deadline.
Yoon’s presidential powers were suspended following a vote by the National Assembly to impeach him on December 14 following the imposition of martial law, which lasted only hours but triggered weeks of political unrest, halted high-level diplomacy and shook financial markets. Yoon’s fate now rests in the hands of the Constitutional Court, which has begun deliberations on whether to uphold the indictment and formally remove Yoon from office or reinstate him.
To officially end Yoon’s presidency, at least six judges of the nine-member Constitutional Court must vote in favor.
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, the new interim president, Vice Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, appointed two new judges on Tuesday, which could increase the court’s chances of upholding Yoon’s impeachment.
Yoon’s imposition of martial law ended after just six hours when the National Assembly voted 190-0 to lift it, despite attempts by heavily armed soldiers to prevent them from voting.
Yoon defended his martial law decree as a necessary act of governance, presenting it as a temporary warning against the Democratic Party, which he described as an “anti-state” force obstructing his agenda with its legislative majority.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
