South Korea’s SEOUL Following his unsuccessful attempt to impose martial law during a dramatic standoff at the presidential home where Yoon has been residing since he was impeached last month, South Korean officials attempted and failed Friday to execute an unusual arrest order for President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Over five hours after entering through the steel gates, investigators and police officers started to depart Yoon’s official residence in central Seoul at 1:30 p.m. local time (11:30 p.m. Thursday ET).
Citing safety concerns after Yoon’s presidential security detail prevented them, they stated they had suspended the arrest warrant’s execution for the day because they had determined it could not be carried out today.
A united team of investigators released a statement expressing their deep disappointment that the suspect did not reply to the judicial proceedings.
Officials may attempt to execute the warrant again before it expires on Monday, as the court issued it on Tuesday.
Yoon is being held in order to be questioned about potential rebellion charges, which are among the few offenses for which South Korean presidents are not immune. To legally indict him and keep him in custody, officials would then need to request a another court warrant.
A month to the day after Yoon’s brief imposition of martial law, thousands of police officers showed up at the compound on Friday.
In addition to Yoon s security detail, they faced a growing crowd of Yoon s conservative supporters outside the residence who were trying to form a human shield to protect him from arrest, some of whom waved American flags in a show of support for the U.S.-South Korea alliance.
According to investigators, they encountered opposition from roughly 200 troops and security service personnel who were sent in to secure the site. They claimed that Yoon’s attorneys reaffirmed their claims that the warrant was unlawful and that the police are not within the jurisdiction of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, which is in charge of the joint investigation team.
The Presidential Security Service, which has also blocked investigators from searching Yoon s office and residence in recent weeks, told NBC News that it was required by law to protect the president, including from anyone entering the premises to execute warrants.
Park Jong-joon, the head of South Korea’s presidential security, was called in for interrogation on Friday afternoon for obstructing special official responsibilities, according to a statement from the Joint Investigation Headquarters.
The main opposition Democratic Party criticized the actions of the presidential security detail and said Choi Sang-mok, South Korea s second acting president since Yoon s impeachment on Dec. 14, should take decisive action to ensure Yoon s arrest.
According to the party’s floor leader, Park Chan-dae, anyone who prevents Yoon from being arrested should be seen as an accomplice in the uprising.
Though Yoon, 64, is not the first South Korean president to be impeached, he would be the East Asian democracy s first sitting president to be arrested. He has been suspended from presidential duties since his impeachment pending a Constitutional Court trial to determine whether it should be upheld.
The court, which held a second hearing Friday, said that oral arguments would begin Jan. 14. The court has 180 days to make a ruling on Yoon s impeachment, which if confirmed would trigger a presidential by-election within 60 days.
Yoon s lawyers said Friday that he is ready to abide by the law as long as it is the rightful due process of law.
Yoon, who took office in 2022 for a single five-year term, has struggled to advance his legislative agenda against the opposition-controlled parliament.
In asurprise late-night address on Dec. 3, he accused anti-state forces of paralyzing the government and sympathizing with communistNorth Koreaand declared emergency martial law, which included a ban on all political activity.
He lifted the order about six hours later after lawmakers voted unanimously to reject it.
Though Yoon has apologized for the martial law declaration, he hasrepeatedly defied summonsesto appearfor questioningin the criminal investigation, saying it was within his power as president to issue the order, South Korea s first since 1980.
The episode has deeply shaken South Korea, which has along history of military-authoritarian rulebut has since transitioned into one of Asia s most vibrant democracies and the world s 10th-largest economy.
AGallup Korea pollreleased Dec. 13 found Yoon had an approval rating of 11%, down from 19% before the martial law declaration.
Yoon still has some supporters, however, thousands of whom have gathered outside the presidential residence in recent days. Some waving American flags argued that Yoon and his conservative People Power Party are more supportive of the U.S. alliance than the liberal Democratic Party, which they accused of being friendlier toward China and North Korea.
Others held signs adopting a slogan associated with President-electDonald Trumps false claims of election fraud in 2020, Stop the Steal.
Kang Minwoo, a 30-year-old office worker, said the suspension of the arrest warrant on Friday was a victory for Yoon supporters like him.
We need to continue to protect the president because it is not over yet, said Kang, whose voice was hoarse from shouting at the protest all night. I am planning to stay here over the weekend.
In a letter to the protesters late Wednesday, Yoon said he had been watching their efforts via YouTube.
Thank you so much and I feel sad, he wrote, adding that he worried for their health in the bitterly cold weather.
Yoon, who was once the country s chief prosecutor, said South Korea was in danger because of efforts by anti-state forces inside and outside the country to steal the sovereignty of this nation.
I will fight until the end standing with you to protect our country, he said. Our country belongs to each and every person in South Korea and not a government or a party.
The Democratic Party said Yoon s message to supporters was highly inappropriate and demonstrates that he remains trapped in his delusions.
Most concerning is his incitement of extreme conflict and chaos among his supporters through this message, Cho Seung-rae, the party s chief spokesperson, said Thursday. As if orchestrating a rebellion was not enough, he is now stirring his followers to provoke extreme clashes and disorder.
State media in North Korea, which technically remains at war with the South, said Friday that the crisis in South Korea had resulted in paralysis of its state administration and spiraling socio-political confusion.
While Prime Minister Han Duck-soo was initially acting president after Yoon s impeachment, he was in the job for less than two weeks beforehe was also impeachedon Dec. 27 after he refused to immediately appoint three justices to fill vacancies on the Constitutional Court.
Choi, the former deputy prime minister and minister of economy and finance, became the new acting president two days before aJeju Air plane crashedin the southwest city of Muan, killing 179 of the 181 people on board in the world s deadliest aviation disaster of 2024.
Stella Kim, Steve Patterson, Stephanie Fuerte and Beomsu Jo reported from Seoul and Jennifer Jett from Hong Kong.
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