South Korean investigators are trying on Friday to arrest deposed President Yoon Suk-yul due to the martial law decree he issued last month, as hundreds of his supporters gathered near his residence in Seoul, pledging to protect him.
About 20 investigators from the Corruption Investigation Bureau of senior officials and police officers were seen entering the gate of Yoon’s home in Seoul to execute his arrest warrant.
It was not clear whether the president would cooperate with the authorities trying to arrest him. In a defiant New Year message to conservative supporters who gathered outside his residence, Yoon said he would “fight to the end” against “anti-state forces.” His lawyers described his arrest warrant as “invalid” and “illegal.”
The anti-corruption agency did not immediately confirm whether investigators succeeded in entering the apartment building where Yoon resides or whether they had a confrontation with presidential security personnel.
Investigators from the anti-corruption agency were earlier seen loading boxes into several vehicles before leaving the building where they work in Gwacheon City early in the morning. Television footage later showed some of those vehicles moving between police buses that were tightly packed and blocked off the streets near Yoon’s residence.
A Seoul court issued an arrest warrant for Yoon on Tuesday after he evaded several requests to appear for questioning and prevented a search of his office in Seoul, hampering the investigation into whether his ill-considered seizure of power on December 3 amounted to rebellion.
The arrest warrant is valid for one week, and investigators may make another attempt to arrest Yoon if they are unable to do so on Friday.
Thousands of police officers gathered at Yoon’s residence and were forming a perimeter around a growing number of pro-Yeon protesters, who waved South Korean flags and chanted slogans in support of him. There were no immediate reports of clashes.
If Yoon is arrested, the anti-corruption agency will have 48 hours to investigate him and either request a formal arrest warrant or release him. Yun’s defense minister, police chief and several senior military commanders have already been detained for their roles in enacting martial law.
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Yoon’s lawyers said the court’s arrest warrant was invalid, claiming the anti-corruption agency lacked the legal authority to investigate mutiny charges. They also accuse the court of overriding a law stipulating that sites potentially linked to military secrets may not be seized or searched without the consent of the person responsible.
Oh Dong-won, chief prosecutor of the anti-corruption agency, indicated that police forces may be deployed if Yoon’s security service resists the arrest attempt.
But Leon’s legal team issued a statement on Thursday warning that any attempt by the anti-corruption agency to use police units to detain him would exceed its legal authority. The lawyers said the police officers could face arrest by “the Presidential Security Service or any citizen” if they tried to arrest Yoon. They did not provide further details about this claim.
South Korean law allows anyone to be arrested to stop an active crime, and critics accused Yoon of inciting his supporters to obstruct attempts to arrest him.
Yoon Kap-keun, the president’s lawyer, filed a challenge in the Seoul Western District Court on Thursday to block an arrest warrant for Yoon Suk-yeol and a related search warrant for his residence. The lawyer said both orders violate criminal laws and the Constitution.
The opposition Liberal Democratic Party, which led the legislative vote that led to the impeachment of Yoon Suk-yeol on December 14 over his imposition of martial law, accused the president of trying to rally his supporters to prevent his arrest and called on law enforcement authorities to execute the arrest warrant. Immediately.
Braving freezing temperatures, thousands of Yoon’s supporters rallied for hours near his residence on Thursday amid a heavy police presence, waving South Korean and American flags and chanting: “Repeal impeachment!” and “We will protect President Yoon Suk-yeol!” Police removed some protesters who were lying on the road leading to the entrance to Yoon’s house, but there were no immediate reports of major clashes.
Some experts believe that the anti-corruption agency, which is leading a joint investigation with police and military authorities, would not risk a clash with Leon’s security service, which has said it will provide security for Leon in accordance with the law. The office may instead issue another summons to Leon to appear for questioning if they are unable to execute the arrest warrant by the January 6 deadline.
Yoon’s presidential powers were suspended after the National Assembly voted to impeach him on December 14 over the imposition of martial law, which lasted only hours but sparked weeks of political unrest, halting high-level diplomacy and shaking financial markets. Now Yoon’s fate rests with the Constitutional Court, which has begun deliberations on whether to uphold the indictment and formally remove Yoon from office or reinstate him.
To formally end Yoon’s presidency, at least six judges on the nine-member Constitutional Court must vote in his favor.
The National Assembly voted last week to impeach Prime Minister Han Dak-soo, who became acting president after Yoon’s powers were suspended, over his reluctance to fill three vacant positions on the Constitutional Court before the court reviews Yoon’s case.
Facing mounting pressure, the new interim president, Vice Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, appointed two new judges on Tuesday, which could increase the chances of the court upholding Yoon’s prosecution.
Yoon’s imposition of martial law ended after just six hours when the National Assembly voted 190 to 0 to lift it despite attempts by heavily armed soldiers to prevent them from voting.
Yoon has defended his martial law decree as a necessary governance measure, portraying it as a temporary warning against the Democratic Party, which he described as an “anti-state” force that obstructs its agenda with its legislative majority.
& Edition 2025 The Canadian Press
