Seoul, South Korea – South Korean investigators left the official residence of accused President Yoon Suk Yeol after a nearly six-hour standoff when he resisted their attempt to detain him. It is the latest clash in a political crisis that has paralyzed South Korean politics and seen two heads of state arrested in less than a month.
The country's anti-corruption agency said it withdrew the investigators after the president's security service prevented them from entering Yoon's residence for hours. because of concerns about their safety.
Jung YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images
The group said its investigators had several scuffles with the president's security forces and expressed “deep regret over the attitude of the suspect, who did not comply with the legal process.” “
The National Police Agency said they planned to investigate the heads and deputy heads of the presidential security service on suspicion of obstructing official duty and summoned them for questioning on Saturday.
Yoon, a former prosecutor, has resisted investigators' efforts to question him for weeks. The last time he is known to have left the residence was on December 12, when he went to the nearby presidential office to make a televised statement to the nation, making a statement defiant that he will fight efforts to eliminate him.
Investigators from the country's anti-corruption agency are weighing treason charges after Yoon, apparently frustrated that his policies have been blocked by an opposition-controlled parliament, declared martial law on December 3 and sent soldiers to surround the National Assembly.
Parliament overturned the confirmation within hours in a unanimous vote and impeached Yoon on December 14, accusing him of rebellion, while authorities opened South Korea's anti-corruption and public prosecutors are conducting separate investigations into the incidents.
A court in Seoul issued a warrant for Yoon's detention on Tuesday, but it is complicated to enforce it while he remains in his official residence.
Yoon's lawyers, who filed a challenge to the warrant on Thursday, say it cannot be executed at his residence because of a law that protects places that may be linked to military secrets from warrantless search. from the person in charge.
The office said it would consider further actions, but did not immediately say whether it would make another attempt to detain Yoon. The warranty to keep is valid for one week.
Yoon's lawyers have also argued that the Office of Corruption Investigation for High-Ranking Officials, which is leading a joint investigation with police and military investigators, does not have the authority to investigate allegations of ar-a- out They said that police officers have no legal authority to help detain Yoon, and that they could be arrested by “the presidential security service or any citizens.” ” They did not elaborate further on the claim.
If investigators manage to detain Yoon, they will likely ask a court for permission to formally arrest him. Otherwise, it will be released after 48 hours.
Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the anti-liberal Democratic Party, regretted the withdrawal of the anti-corruption group and urged the group to make another attempt to detain Yoon on Friday.
Kwon Young-se, who heads the emergency leadership committee of Yoon's conservative People's Power Party, called the group's effort to detain Yoon “very unfair and very inappropriate,” saying there is no danger that Yoon will try to fleeing or destroying evidence.
Thousands of police officers gathered at Yoon's residence on Friday, forming a perimeter around a growing group of pro-Yoon protesters who braved the freezing temperatures for hours, waving flags South Korea and America while chanting slogans voted to protect it. There were no immediate reports of a major altercation outside the residence.
Getty Images
Dozens of detectives and police officers were seen entering the gate of the Seoul residence to execute a warrant for Yoon's arrest, but the dramatic scene quickly turned into a standoff. . Two of Yoon's lawyers, Yoon Kap-keun and Kim Hong-il, were seen entering the gate of the president's residence around noon. It was not immediately clear what the lawyers discussed with the president.
Seok Dong-hyeon, another lawyer on Yoon's legal team, said the agency's efforts to detain Yoon were “irresponsible” and showed “a terrible disregard for the law.”
Getty Images
South Korea's Ministry of Defense confirmed that the investigators and police passed a military unit guarding the grounds of the residence before reaching the building. The presidential security service, which controls the residence itself, declined to comment. South Korea's YTN television reported scuffles as investigators and police clashed with the president's security forces.
As the move progressed, the Democrats called on the country's acting leader, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, to order the president's security service to resign. Choi did not immediately comment on the situation.
“Don't just drag the staff of the presidential security service and other public officials into the depths of crime,” said Jo Seung-lae, a Democratic lawmaker. Choi must “remember that your duty is to deal quickly with the uprising and prevent further chaos,” Jo said.
Defense minister Yoon, the police chief and several top military commanders have already been arrested for their roles in the martial law period.
Yoon's presidential powers have been suspended since the National Assembly voted to impeach him on December 14. Yoon's position now rests with the Constitutional Court, which has begun considering whether to uphold the impeachment and formally remove Yoon from office or bring back At least six judges on the nine-member Constitutional Court must vote to remove him from office.
The National Assembly voted last week to impeach Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who became acting president after Yoon's powers were suspended, because of his reluctance. e to fill three vacancies in the Constitutional Court before the court's investigation of Yoon's case.
Facing mounting pressure, the new acting president, Choi, appointed two new judges on Tuesday, which could increase the chances of the court upholding Yoon's impeachment.
