SEOUL — South Korea’s anti-corruption agency suspended its attempt to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his failed martial law bid on Friday, following an hours-long standoff between investigators and presidential security staff, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) said it halted the execution of the warrant at 1.30 pm, about five hours after its investigators arrived at the presidential residence to detain Yoon.
“We determined that executing the detention warrant would be practically impossible due to the continued confrontation, and suspended the execution out of concern for the safety of on-site personnel caused by the resistance,” the CIO said in a notice to the press. “We plan to decide on the next steps following a review.
“We express serious regret over the behavior of the suspect who refused to comply with legally set procedures,” it added.
The CIO has until Monday to execute the detention warrant on charges of insurrection and abuse of power linked to Yoon’s short-lived imposition of martial law on Dec 3.
Rallies by Yoon’s supporters outside the presidential residence, however, have complicated the CIO’s effort, along with the potential for clashes with the Presidential Security Service (PSS).
More than 1,000 pro-Yoon protesters gathered near the residence on Friday morning. Surrounded by some 2,700 police officers deployed to maintain order, they chanted: “Illegal warrant. Completely invalid” and “Arrest the CIO.”
Thousands of supporters have gathered near the residence in recent days to oppose Yoon’s impeachment and block his arrest. Some have been forcibly dispersed by the police and carried away by their limbs.
The investigators presented their court-issued warrants to detain Yoon and search the presidential residence, but were denied entry by PSS chief Park Chong-jun who cited restrictions on secured areas.
Before confronting the PSS, the investigators had also been resisted by a military unit stationed on the compound.
Two lawyers for Yoon – Yun Gap-geun and Kim Hong-il – were seen entering the residence during the standoff.
The CIO had been expected to try to detain Yoon on Friday as executing the warrant on Saturday or Sunday could risk confronting even larger crowds while executing it Monday would be too close to the deadline.
The CIO has collaborated with the police and the Defence Ministry’s investigation unit to conduct a joint probe into Yoon’s failed martial law bid.
The CIO requested the detention warrant after Yoon ignored all three summonses to appear for questioning. The agency has also secured a warrant to search the presidential residence.
Yoon’s legal defence team has called the warrants “illegal and invalid” and filed for an injunction against their execution.
On Friday, Yun told Yonhap News Agency “legal action” will be sought against the CIO’s attempt.
Police had said anyone trying to stop the CIO from executing the detention warrant would be taken into custody on charges of obstruction of official duties. No one was detained on such charges Friday, a police official said.
Investigators had planned to arrest Yoon and take him to the CIO’s headquarters in Gwacheon, just south of Seoul, for questioning before detaining him at the Seoul Detention Centre in nearby Uiwang.
Once detained, the CIO would have had 48 hours to either seek another warrant for his formal arrest or release him. – January 3, 2025