SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Braving freezing temperatures and snow, hundreds of South Koreans gathered near the residence of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, demanding his removal and arrest. Officials were gearing up to renew their attempts to detain him following his brief declaration of martial law.
During a tense standoff on Friday, dozens of anti-corruption investigators and police tried to execute a detainment warrant against Yoon but ultimately withdrew from his Seoul residence after a five-hour ordeal with the presidential security service. The one-week warrant for his detention remains valid through Monday, though there were no immediate plans to return to his residence as of Sunday afternoon.
Security staff were observed installing barbed wire around the property over the weekend in anticipation of a potential follow-up detention attempt. A Seoul court recently issued warrants to detain Yoon and search his residence after he repeatedly defied authorities by evading questioning and obstructing searches of his office. However, enforcing these warrants is complicated as long as Yoon remains within his official residence.
Investigators are contemplating charges of rebellion against the conservative president, who declared martial law on December 3 in response to legislative opposition to his policies. The National Assembly quickly overturned the declaration and subsequently impeached Yoon on December 14. Anti-corruption agencies and prosecutors have launched investigations into the events.
If Yoon is detained, the anti-corruption agency is expected to seek court approval for a formal arrest. Otherwise, he would be released after 48 hours. The agency leading the investigation has expressed difficulties in detaining Yoon while he is under the protection of the presidential security service. Calls have been made for the acting leader, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, to instruct the service to cooperate with the execution of the detainment warrant.
Protests both for and against Yoon have been ongoing outside the presidential residence, with anti-Yoon demonstrators urging stronger efforts to bring him into custody while his supporters rally against his impeachment and vow to resist any attempts to detain him. Yoon’s legal team has challenged the detention and search warrants, arguing that they cannot be enforced at his residence due to laws protecting locations potentially associated with military secrets.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) lacks the legal authority to investigate rebellion charges and police officers are not authorized to assist in detaining Yoon. While the presidential security act mandates protection for Yoon, it does not grant the presidential security service the power to obstruct court-ordered detainments. This obstruction of official duty may be deemed as an offense, emphasized Park Sung-bae, an attorney specializing in criminal law. Although the president generally enjoys immunity from prosecution while in office, this protection does not cover allegations of rebellion or treason.
The agency reported that its investigators faced several confrontations with presidential security forces, which jeopardized their safety. It also expressed “serious regret” over Yoon’s failure to comply with the legal procedures. Despite encountering resistance from a military unit stationed at the residence’s grounds, the agency’s investigators and police managed to advance within 200 meters (yards) of Yoon’s residential building. However, their progress was halted by a barricade formed by approximately 10 vehicles and some 200 members of the presidential security forces and troops. The agency mentioned its inability to visually confirm Yoon’s presence inside the residence.
The Defense Ministry clarified that the troops deployed at Yoon’s official residence operate under the command of the presidential security service. Kim Seon-ho, the acting defense minister, expressed his apprehension to the security service regarding the deployment of military personnel to impede the execution of the detention warrant, deeming it “inappropriate.” He also requested that the troops not be placed in situations where they may come into conflict with the police, as per the ministry’s statement.
Yoon’s defense minister, police chief, and several high-ranking military officials have already been apprehended for their involvement during the period of martial law. Yoon’s presidential authority has been temporarily suspended since the National Assembly voted to impeach him on December 14. The fate of Yoon now rests in the hands of the Constitutional Court, which has initiated deliberations to determine whether to uphold the impeachment, thereby formally ousting Yoon from office, or to reinstate him.
