South Korean protesters brave the cold to demand Yoon’s ouster as deadline for his arrest approaches

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Hundreds of South Koreans, sheltered from freezing temperatures and snow, demonstrated overnight Sunday near the residence of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, calling for his ouster and arrest, as authorities prepared to renew their efforts to stop him by his brief martial law decree.

Dozens of investigators and police from anti-corruption agencies attempted to execute an arrest warrant against Yoon on Friday, but He left his residence in Seoul after a tense confrontation with the presidential security service which lasted more than five hours.

The one-week detention order is valid until Monday. There was no immediate indication that anti-corruption authorities were ready to send investigators back to the residence as of Sunday afternoon. Over the weekend, presidential security service personnel were seen installing barbed wire near the gate and along the hills leading to Yoon’s residence, possibly in preparation for another arrest attempt.

A Seoul court issued last Tuesday an order to detain Yoon and a separate order to search his residence after the embattled president repeatedly defied authorities by refuse to appear for questioning and obstruct your office records. But enforcing them is difficult as long as Yoon remains in his official residence.

Investigators from the country’s anti-corruption agency are weighing charges of rebellion after the conservative president, apparently frustrated that his policies were blocked by a legislature dominated by the liberal opposition, martial law declared on December 3 and He sent troops to surround the National Assembly.

The Assembly revoked the declaration within hours by unanimous vote. and dismissed Yoon on December 14, accusing him of rebellion, while South Korean anti-corruption authorities and prosecutors opened separate investigations into the events.

If the anti-graft agency manages to detain Yoon, it will likely ask a court for permission to make a formal arrest. Otherwise, Yoon will be released after 48 hours.

The Corruption Investigation for Senior Officials, which is leading a joint investigation with police and military investigators, says detaining Yoon would be “virtually impossible” while he is protected by the presidential security service. The agency has urged the country’s acting leader, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, to order the service to comply with the execution of the detention order, but Choi has yet to publicly comment on the issue.

The heads and deputy heads of the presidential security service on Saturday defied subpoenas from police, who planned to question them about alleged obstruction of official duty following Friday’s events.

Yoon’s legal team said it will file complaints against the anti-graft agency’s chief prosecutor, Oh Dong-woon, and about 150 investigators and officers involved in Friday’s attempted arrest, which they say was illegal. The team said it will also file complaints with prosecutors against the country’s acting defense minister and police chief for ignoring the presidential security service’s request to provide additional forces to block the arrest attempt.

Park Chan-dae, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, called on the agency to act quickly to detain Yoon, saying it was deeply disappointing to see the agency “hesitate and let time pass.”

Hundreds of anti-Yoon protesters demonstrated for hours near the gates of the presidential residence from Saturday afternoon into Sunday, expressing frustration over the failed arrest attempt and demanding greater efforts to take Yoon into custody. Separated by police barricades and buses, pro-Yoon protesters were gathering on nearby streets, denouncing his impeachment and vowing to block any attempt to stop him.

“With just one day left until the deadline for executing Yoon Seok Yeol’s arrest warrant, the presidential security service continues to hide a criminal and the Corruption Investigation Bureau for Senior Officials could not be more relaxed” said Kim Eun-jeong, an activist. he said on stage during the anti-Yoon demonstration.

“Angry citizens have already spent two freezing nights demanding his immediate arrest. Are their voices not heard?

Yoon’s lawyers have challenged the stop-and-search warrants against the president, saying they cannot be executed at his residence because of a law that protects locations potentially linked to military secrets from searches without the consent of the person in charge, who would be Yoon. . They also argue that the anti-corruption bureau lacks legal authority to investigate rebellion charges and that police officers do not have the legal authority to help detain Yoon.

While the presidential security law requires protection for Yoon, it does not authorize the presidential security service to block court-ordered detentions. The service’s attempts to block the execution of the order may amount to obstruction of official duty, according to Park Sung-bae, a criminal law lawyer. While the president largely has immunity from prosecution while in office, the protection does not extend to accusations of rebellion or treason.

The agency said its outnumbered investigators had several confrontations with presidential security forces that threatened their safety and expressed “serious regret” that Yoon was not complying with legal process.

After bypassing a military unit guarding the grounds of the residence, agency investigators and police were able to approach within 200 meters of Yoon’s residential building, but were stopped by a barricade consisting of about 10 vehicles and approximately 200 members of the police. presidential security forces and troops. The agency said it could not visually confirm whether Yoon was inside the residence.

The Defense Ministry says troops at Yoon’s official residence are under the control of the presidential security service. Acting Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho conveyed his concerns to the presidential security service, saying that deploying military personnel to block the execution of the arrest warrant would be “inappropriate” and called for troops not to be placed in a position where they could confront the police, according to the ministry.

Yoon’s defense minister, police chief and several top military commanders have already been arrested for their role in the martial law period.

Yoon’s presidential powers have been suspended since the National Assembly voted to remove him from office on December 14. Yoon’s fate now rests with the Constitutional Court, which has begun deliberations on whether to confirm the impeachment and formally remove Yoon from office or reinstate him.