Seoul, South Korea — South Korean investigators have left the official residence of impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol after a nearly six-hour standoff in which he defied their attempt to detain him. It is the latest confrontation in a political crisis that has paralyzed South Korean politics two heads of state were impeached in less than a month.
The country's anti-corruption agency said it withdrew its investigators after presidential security blocked their access to Yun's residence for several hours over concerns about their safety.
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The agency said its outnumbered investigators had clashed several times with the president's security forces and expressed “serious regrets about the conduct of the suspect who defied due process.”
The National Police said it plans to investigate the chief and deputy chiefs of the presidential security service on suspicion of obstruction of duty and summoned them for questioning on Saturday.
Yoon, a former prosecutor, resisted investigators' attempts to question him for weeks. He was last known to have left the residence on December 12, when he went to the nearby presidential office to make a televised address to the nation, making a show that he would fight efforts to impeach him.
Investigators from the country's anti-corruption agency are weighing rebellion charges after Yoon, clearly frustrated that his policies have been blocked by the opposition-dominated parliament, Martial law was declared on December 3 and sent troops to surround the National Assembly.
Parliament overturned the declaration within hours by a unanimous vote and impeached Yoon on December 14, charging him with rebellion, while South Korea's anti-corruption authorities and prosecutors launched separate investigations into the events.
A Seoul court issued an arrest warrant for Yoon on Tuesday, but enforcement is difficult as he remains at his official residence.
Yun's lawyers, who appealed the warrant on Thursday, say it cannot be executed at his residence because of a law that protects places potentially related to military secrets from being searched without the consent of the person responsible.
The office said it would discuss next steps, but did not immediately say whether it would make another attempt to detain Yoon. The term of the detention order is one week.
Yun's lawyers also argued that the High-Level Officials Corruption Investigation Bureau, which is conducting a joint investigation with police and military investigators, does not have the authority to investigate the rebellion allegations. They said police officers had no legal authority to assist in Yoon's arrest and could be arrested either by “presidential security or any citizen.” They did not clarify the claim.
If investigators succeed in detaining Yoon, they will likely ask the court for permission to formally arrest him. Otherwise, he will be released after 48 hours.
Park Chang-dae, leader of the liberal opposition Democratic Party, called the recall of the anti-corruption agency regrettable and urged the agency to make another attempt to detain Yoon on Friday.
Kwon Yong-se, who heads the emergency management committee of Yoon's conservative People's Power Party, called the agency's efforts to detain Yoon “grossly unfair and grossly improper,” saying there was no risk that Yoon would try to flee or destroy evidence.
Thousands of police converged on Yoon's residence on Friday, forming a perimeter around a growing group of pro-Yoon protesters who braved the cold for hours, waving South Korean and American flags, chanting slogans and vowing to protect him. There were no immediate reports of major clashes near the residence.
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Dozens of investigators and police officers were seen at the gate of the Seoul residence to execute a warrant for Yoon's arrest, but the dramatic scene quickly turned into a standoff. Two of Yun's lawyers, Yoon Kap Geun and Kim Hong Il, were seen at the gate of the presidential residence around noon. It is still unclear what the lawyers discussed with the president.
Seok Dong-heon, another lawyer on Yoon's legal team, said the agency's efforts to detain Yoon were “reckless” and showed a “flagrant disregard for the law.”
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South Korea's Defense Ministry confirmed that investigators and police officers passed a military unit guarding the grounds of the residence before arriving at the building. The presidential security service, which controls the residence itself, declined to comment. South Korean television YTN reported clashes as investigators and police clashed with the president's security forces.
As the standoff unfolded, Democrats called on the country's acting leader, Vice Prime Minister Choi Sang Mok, to order the president's security service to resign. Tsoi did not immediately comment on the situation.
“Do not drag the loyal members of the presidential security service and other government officials into the depths of crime,” said Joe Seung-le, a Democratic Party lawmaker. Choi should “remember that fighting the insurgency quickly and preventing further chaos is your responsibility,” Joe said.
Defense Minister Yuna, the police chief and several top military commanders have already been arrested for their roles in the martial law period.
Yun's presidential powers were suspended after the National Assembly voted to impeach him on December 14. Yun's fate now rests with the Constitutional Court, which has begun deliberations on whether to uphold the impeachment and formally remove Yun from office or reinstate him. At least six judges of the nine-member Constitutional Court must vote to remove him from office.
Last week, the National Assembly voted to impeach Prime Minister Han Dak-soo, who became acting president after Yun's term was suspended, over his refusal to fill three vacancies on the Constitutional Court ahead of Yun's trial.
Facing mounting pressure, new acting President Choi on Tuesday appointed two new judges, which could increase the chances that the court will uphold Yun's impeachment.