South Korean Investigators left the official residence of deposed President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday after a nearly six-hour standoff during which he defied their try to detain him. It is the latest confrontation in a political crisis that has paralyzed South Korean politics and seen the removal of two heads of state 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, citing concerns about their safety.
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.”
He said Yoon’s detention would be “virtually impossible” as long as he was protected by presidential security services. The agency plans to “firmly demand” that the country’s acting leader, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, instruct the department to comply with the execution of the arrest warrant.
Outside the residence, a large group of pro-Yoon protesters braved freezing temperatures for hours, waving South Korean and U.S. flags while chanting slogans promising to protect him.
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, has for weeks resisted investigators’ attempts to question him. 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 Dec. 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. .
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A Seoul court on Tuesday issued an arrest warrant for Yoon and a separate warrant to search his residence, 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 try to arrest Yoon again. 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.
In a news conference with reporters, an anti-graft agency official said its investigators were able to approach within 200 meters of Yoon’s residence but were stopped by a barricade of around ten vehicles and around 200 members of the presidential security forces. and troops. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with department rules, said three of his prosecutors were eventually allowed to approach the building, but were unable to confirm if Yoon was inside.
Although the Presidential Security Law requires Yoon’s protection, it does not authorize the presidential security services to block court-ordered detentions, which would amount to a violation of judicial authority, Park Seong- said. bae, a lawyer specializing in criminal law. Although the president generally enjoys immunity from prosecution while in office, this protection does not extend to allegations of rebellion or treason.
“There is a strong possibility that blocking the execution of an arrest warrant constitutes obstruction of the exercise of official duties,” he said.
The law requiring consent from the person responsible for searching potentially secret military locations could continue to hamper Yoon’s detention. Courts often require law enforcement officials to obtain search warrants accompanied by detention warrants in case they need to search the site to locate the suspect, which the anti-corruption agency has also done in his pursuit of Yoon.
It is unlikely that approval could come from the country’s interim leader Choi, as it would be difficult to view him as the person in charge of Yoon’s residence, Park said.
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 is no risk that Yoon will 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.
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.
