South Korean investigators abandon arrest of accused President Yoon after tense standoff

SEOUL: South Korean investigators call off arrest attempt South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol impeached at his residence on Friday (Jan. 3) for his failed attempt to implement martial law, citing security concerns after a tense six-hour standoff with his security team.

Yoon, who has already been suspended from office by lawmakers, would become the first sitting president in South Korea’s history to be arrested if the order is carried out.

The president, who issued a botched statement on Dec. 3 that shook East Asia’s vibrant democracy and briefly returned it to the dark days of military rule, faces prison or, at worst, the death penalty.

“With regard to the execution of today’s arrest warrant, it was determined that execution was effectively impossible due to the current standoff,” the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO), which is investigating Yoon for his martial law decree.

“Concern for the safety of personnel at the scene led to the decision to stop” the attempted arrest, the statement said about the standoff with Yoon’s presidential security service and his military unit.

Officials from the CIO, who are leading a joint team of investigators including police and prosecutors, arrived at the gates of Yoon’s compound shortly after 7am (6am Singapore time) and entered on foot.

CIO investigators, including lead prosecutor Lee Dae-hwan, were allowed to break through heavy security barricades to enter the residence, evading a crowd of protesters outside, to attempt to execute their warrant for Yoon’s arrest.

Once inside the complex, the CIO and police were outnumbered by cordons of Presidential Security Service (PSS) personnel, as well as military troops attached to presidential security, a CIO official told reporters.

About 20 investigators and 80 police officers were vastly outnumbered by about 200 soldiers and security personnel who joined together to block their path, a CIO official said at a briefing.

“I understand there were minor and major physical altercations,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, adding that buses and cars were also parked to block their path.

Negotiations between the two sides ultimately failed and investigators decided to leave for the safety of their team, although another execution of the warrant could take place after a review, the official said.

PSS soldiers at one point engaged in a “confrontation with the CIO at the presidential residence,” an official from the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul told AFP.

South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense said the troops were under the control of the PSS.

Before the execution of the court-approved order was cancelled, Yoon’s security detail told AFP they had been “negotiating” with CIO investigators who were trying to contact the president.