Seoul. South Korean investigators were unable to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol after a nearly six-hour standoff with the Presidential Security Service. The ongoing political crisis following Yoon’s short-lived ‘martial law’ and the impeachment of two heads of state within a month has paralyzed South Korean politics. The country’s anti-corruption agency said its investigators were barred from entering Yun’s official residence and were recalled due to security concerns.
The agency said it “deeply regrets the conduct of the suspect who did not follow the procedure prescribed by law.” Yoon has been thwarting investigators’ attempts to question him for several weeks. Yoon last stepped out of his residence on December 12. At that time he had gone to the nearby Presidential Office and in a televised address to the nation said that he would oppose efforts to remove him. Investigators are probing whether the short-term ‘martial law’ imposed by Yun on December 3 amounted to a rebellion.
Yun was frustrated with his policies being blocked by the opposition-dominated Parliament, so he imposed ‘martial law’ on December 3 and sent troops to surround the National Assembly. Parliament unanimously nullified the declaration a few hours later. On December 14, the impeachment motion brought against President Yun Suk Yeol in the ‘National Assembly’ was passed for ordering the imposition of short-term martial law in South Korea. He has been accused of rebellion. South Korean anti-corruption officials and government prosecutors launched separate investigations into the incident.
A Seoul court issued a warrant for Yoon’s detention on Tuesday but it is complicated to enforce unless he is at his official residence. Yoon’s lawyers challenged the warrant on Thursday. He said that as per law, places containing military confidential documents cannot be searched without the consent of the person in charge. Under the same law, the warrant cannot be served at Yoon’s residence. The office said it would consider further action but did not say whether it would make another attempt to detain Yoon. The warrant for Yoon’s detention is valid for one week.
If investigators succeed in detaining Yoon, they will seek court permission for his formal arrest. Otherwise, they will be released after 48 hours. On Friday, thousands of police were deployed around Yoon’s residence and formed a cordon around pro-Yoon protesters. Despite the bitter cold, a large number of protesters gathered at Yoon’s residence, waving South Korean and American flags and chanting slogans in support of the president. There were no immediate reports of any major clashes outside the residence. There was a standoff for several hours after investigators arrived at Yoon’s residence to take him into custody.
