Round 30 supporters of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a sit-in protest in entrance of his official residence to dam his arrest by the police in Seoul, South Korea, on January 2, 2025. A Seoul court docket points a detention warrant for Yoon over his failed try and impose martial legislation, making him the primary sitting South Korean president to face arrest. (Picture by Chris Jung/NurPhoto by way of Getty Photographs)
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South Korea’s presidential guards and navy troops prevented authorities from arresting impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday in a tense six hour stand-off inside Yoon’s compound within the coronary heart of Seoul.
Yoon is below felony investigation for revolt over his Dec. 3 martial legislation bid that surprised South Korea and result in the primary arrest warrant to be issued for a sitting president.
“It was judged that it was just about unimaginable to execute the arrest warrant because of the ongoing standoff,” the Corruption Investigation Workplace for Excessive-ranking Officers (CIO) mentioned in a press release.
The CIO officers and police evaded a whole lot of Yoon supporters who gathered within the pre-dawn hours close to his residence on Friday, vowing to dam the arrest “with our lives”.
Some chanted “President Yoon Suk Yeol can be protected by the folks,” and referred to as for the top of the CIO to be arrested.
Officers from the CIO, which is main a joint staff of investigators into attainable revolt expenses associated to Yoon’s temporary declaration of martial legislation, arrived on the gates of the presidential compound shortly after 7 a.m. (2200 GMT Thursday) and entered on foot.
As soon as contained in the compound, the CIO and police had been outnumbered by cordons of Presidential Safety Service (PSS) personnel, in addition to navy troops seconded to presidential safety, a CIO official advised reporters.
SEONGNAM, SOUTH KOREA – OCTOBER 01: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arrives throughout a celebration to mark 76th South Korea Armed Forces Day ceremony on October 01, 2024 in Seongnam, South Korea. The anniversary ceremony is to mark that South Korean Military crossed the 38 parallel on October 1st through the Korean Battle. (Picture by Kim Hong-Ji – Pool/Getty Photographs)
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Greater than 200 PSS brokers and troopers fashioned a number of layers of human chains to dam the CIO and police, the official added. Whereas there have been altercations and PSS brokers seemed to be carrying firearms, no weapons had been drawn within the standoff, the official mentioned.
Yoon, who has been remoted since he was impeached and suspended from energy on Dec. 14, was not seen through the standoff, he mentioned.
South Korea’s Ministry of Nationwide Protection mentioned the troops had been below the management of the PSS.
The CIO referred to as off the trouble to arrest Yoon round 1:30 p.m. on account of considerations over the protection of its personnel on account of obstruction, and mentioned it “deeply regretted” Yoon’s perspective of non-compliance.
The CIO mentioned it will contemplate its subsequent steps. The police, who’re a part of the joint investigation staff, have designated the PSS chief and the deputy as suspects in a felony case for obstruction of official obligation and issued summons for them to look for questioning on Saturday, Yonhap information reported.
Rebel is among the few felony expenses from which a South Korean president doesn’t have immunity.
Yoon’s arrest warrant, accredited by a court docket on Tuesday after he ignored a number of summons to look for questioning, is viable till Jan. 6.
In a press release after the arrest effort was suspended, Yoon’s authorized staff mentioned the CIO had no authority to research revolt and it was regrettable that it had tried to “forcibly execute an unlawful and invalid arrest and search warrant” in a delicate safety space.
The assertion warned police in opposition to supporting the arrest effort.
The interim head of Yoon’s Individuals Energy Celebration welcomed the suspension and mentioned the investigation should be carried out with out detaining Yoon.
The present warrant offers investigators solely 48 hours to carry Yoon after he’s arrested. Investigators should then determine whether or not to request a detention warrant or launch him.
Shock martial legislation
Yoon despatched shockwaves by means of Asia’s fourth-largest financial system and one of many area’s most vibrant democracies along with his late-night announcement that he was imposing martial legislation to beat political impasse and root out “anti-state forces”.
Inside hours, nonetheless, 190 lawmakers had defied the cordons of troops and police to vote in opposition to Yoon’s order. About six hours after his preliminary decree, Yoon rescinded it.
He later issued a defiant defence of his determination, saying home political opponents are sympathetic to North Korea and citing uncorroborated claims of election tampering.
Two South Korean navy officers, together with military chief Park An-su who was named martial legislation commander through the short-lived declaration, have been indicted after being detained by prosecutors investigating revolt expenses, Yonhap reported on Friday.
Kim Yong-hyun, who resigned as Yoon’s defence minister after enjoying a significant function within the martial legislation decree, has been detained and was indicted final week on expenses of revolt and abuse of energy.
Separate from the felony investigation, his impeachment case is presently earlier than the Constitutional Courtroom to determine whether or not to reinstate or completely take away him. A second listening to in that case was held on Friday and the court docket set the primary oral arguments for Jan. 14.
Bae Jin-han, one of many legal professionals for Yoon, advised reporters Yoon could not seem for the primary arguments however will probably accomplish that at a future listening to to argue his place.
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