Ousted South Korean president defies arrest warrant after standoff – National
South Korean investigators left the residence of ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol after a nearly six-hour standoff on Friday in which 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 of the country’s leaders impeached in less than a month.
The country’s anti-corruption agency says it withdrew its investigators after the president’s security forces prevented them from entering Yoon’s house for hours, due to concerns about their safety.
The organization said that several of its investigators had many conflicts with the president’s security forces and expressed “deep regret for the attitude of the suspect, who did not comply with the legal process.”
It said arresting Yoon would be “impossible” as long as he is protected by the president’s security forces. The organization plans to “strongly demand” that the country’s acting leader, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, order the unit to comply with their issuance of the arrest warrant.
Outside the residence, a large group of pro-Yoon protesters braved the cold for hours, waving South Korean and American flags while chanting slogans vowing to protect him.
The National Police Agency said it plans to investigate the chief and deputy chiefs of the presidential security unit for allegedly interfering with police operations and called them for questioning on Saturday.
Yoon, a former prosecutor, has resisted investigators’ attempts to question him for weeks. The last time he was known to have left his residence was on December 12, when he went to the nearby presidential office to make a statement on national television, making a defiant statement that he would fight against attempts to overthrow him.
Investigators from the country’s anti-corruption agency are investigating sedition charges after Yoon, angered that his policies were blocked by an opposition-dominated parliament, declared martial law on December 3 and sent troops to surround the National Assembly.
Parliament rejected the announcement within hours by a unanimous vote and indicted Yoon on December 14, accusing him of treason, while South Korea’s anti-corruption authorities and public prosecutors opened separate investigations into the incidents.
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A Seoul court issued a warrant for Yoon’s arrest and a search warrant for his residence on Tuesday, but enforcing it is difficult as long as he lives in his official residence.
Yoon’s lawyers, who challenged the warrant on Thursday, said it could not be used at his residence because of a law that protects places that may be connected to military secrets from being searched without a warrant.
The office said it was still considering further steps but did not immediately say whether it would make another attempt to arrest Yoon. The warrant for his arrest is valid for one week.
Yoon’s lawyers also argued that the Office for Corruption Investigation of Senior Officials, which is leading the investigation in cooperation with police and military investigators, does not have the power to investigate cases of treason. They said the police had no legal authority to assist in Yoon’s arrest, and could face arrest by “the presidential security service or any citizens.” They did not elaborate on the claim.
If the investigators are able to detain Yoon, they will likely ask the court for permission to formally arrest him. Otherwise, you will be released after 48 hours.
During a press conference, the head of the anti-corruption agency said that its investigators were able to approach the 200-meter area where Yoon lives but were blocked by a wall consisting of ten vehicles and nearly 200 members of the presidential security force. and the forces. The official, who did not want to be named under the law of the department, said that his three prosecutors were finally allowed to approach the building but could not confirm whether Yoon was inside.
Although the presidential security law authorizes Yoon’s protection, it does not authorize the presidential security service to prevent court-ordered arrests, which would amount to a violation of the judicial system, said Park Seong-bae, a lawyer who specializes in law. Although the president cannot be prosecuted while in office, the immunity does not extend to accusations of rebellion or treason.
“It is possible that the act of blocking the execution of a warrant to detain people may not mean that it will affect the legal work,” he said.
A law that requires the consent of the person in charge of searches of potentially classified military sites may continue to prevent Yoon’s arrest. Courts often require law enforcement officers to obtain search warrants with arrest warrants in case they need to search an area to find a suspect, which is what the anti-corruption agency did when it sought Yoon.
It is unlikely that this permission will come from the country’s acting leader, Choi, as it will be difficult to see him as the person in charge of Yoon’s residence, said Park.
Park Chan-dae, leader of the opposition Democratic Party, called the withdrawal of the anti-corruption agency regrettable and urged the agency to make another attempt to arrest Yoon on Friday.
Kwon Young-se, who heads the emergency leadership committee of Yoon’s conservative People Power Party, called the party’s attempt to arrest Yoon “totally wrong and totally inappropriate,” saying there was no risk of Yoon trying to flee or destroy evidence. .
Thousands of police gathered at Yoon’s residence on Friday, forming a cordon around a growing group of pro-Yoon protesters who braved an hours-long standoff, waving South Korean and American flags while chanting slogans vowing to protect him. There were no immediate reports of major conflicts outside the residence.
Yoon’s defense minister, police chief and several top military commanders have been jailed for their roles during martial law.
Yoon’s presidential powers have been suspended since the National Assembly voted to impeach him on December 14. Yoon’s fate now rests with the Constitutional Court, which has begun debating whether to support impeachment and formally remove Yoon from office or reinstate him. At least six judges of the nine-member Constitutional Court must vote to remove him from office.
The National Assembly voted last week to censure Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who became acting president after Yoon’s impeachment, for his reluctance to fill three vacancies on the Constitutional Court before the court reviews 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 tolerating Yoon’s impeachment.
