South Korea’s ousted president defies arrest warrant after confrontation – National

South Korea Investigators left the official residence of ousted President Yoon Suk-yeol after a nearly six-hour standoff on Friday during which he challenged their investigators. Trying to detain him. It is the latest confrontation in a political crisis that has paralyzed South Korean politics and seen two presidents impeached in less than a month.

The country’s anti-corruption agency said it withdrew its investigators after the presidential security service prevented them from entering Yoon’s home for hours, due to concerns for their safety.

The agency said its investigators, who were outnumbered, clashed several times with presidential security forces, and expressed “deep regret over the behavior of the suspect who did not comply with legal procedures.”

She said Yoon’s arrest would be “almost impossible” as long as he was protected by the presidential security service. The agency intends to “strongly demand” that the country’s acting president, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, instruct the service to comply with the implementation of the arrest warrant.

Outside the headquarters, a large group of pro-Leon demonstrators braved freezing temperatures for hours, waving South Korean and American flags while chanting slogans pledging to protect him.

The National Police Agency said it intends to investigate the head and deputy heads of the Presidential Security Service on suspicion of obstructing official duty and summoned them for questioning on Saturday.

Yoon, a former prosecutor, resisted investigators’ attempts to question him for weeks. The last time he left the headquarters was on December 12, when he went to the nearby presidential office to make a televised statement to the nation, where he made a defiant statement that he would fight efforts to oust him.

Investigators from the country’s anti-corruption agency are examining charges of rebellion after Yoon, apparently frustrated by obstruction in the opposition-dominated parliament, declared martial law on December 3 and sent troops to besiege the National Assembly.

Parliament rescinded the declaration within hours in a unanimous vote and impeached Yoon on December 14, accusing him of rebellion, while South Korean anti-corruption authorities and prosecutors opened separate investigations into the events.

A Seoul court issued a warrant for Yoon’s arrest and a separate warrant to search his residence on Tuesday, but implementing them is complicated as long as he remains at his official residence.

Yoon’s lawyers, who filed an appeal against the arrest order on Thursday, say it cannot be carried out at his residence because of a law that protects sites potentially linked to military secrets from being searched without the consent of the person responsible.

The office said it would discuss further measures but did not immediately say whether it would again try to arrest Yoon. His arrest order is valid for one week.

Yoon’s lawyers also claimed that the Senior Officials Corruption Investigation Bureau, which is leading a joint investigation with police and military investigators, lacks the authority to investigate accusations of mutiny. They said police officers did not have the legal authority to help arrest Yoon, and could face arrest by “the Presidential Security Service or any citizen.” They did not provide further details about this claim.

If investigators are able to arrest Yoon, they will likely ask the court for permission to make an official arrest. Otherwise, he will be released after 48 hours.

During a briefing to reporters, an official from the anti-corruption agency said that its investigators were able to approach within 200 meters of Yoon’s residence, but were stopped by a barricade of about 10 vehicles and about 200 members of the presidential security forces. And the troops. Three prosecutors were eventually allowed to approach the building but were unable to confirm whether Yoon was inside, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with ministry rules.

Park Seung-bae, a lawyer specializing in criminal law, said that while the Presidential Security Law provides for Yoon’s protection, it does not allow the Presidential Security Service to prevent court-ordered arrests, which could amount to an infringement of judicial authority. While the president is mostly immune from prosecution while in office, the protection does not extend to allegations of rebellion or treason.

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He said: “There is a high probability that preventing the implementation of the arrest warrant would constitute obstruction of official duty.”

A law requiring the consent of the person responsible for inspections at sites containing potential military secrets could continue to hamper Yoon’s arrest. Courts often require law enforcement officials to obtain search warrants along with arrest warrants in case they need to search a location to locate a suspect, which the anti-corruption agency also did in its pursuit of Yoon.

Park said approval was unlikely to come from the country’s acting President Choi, because it would be difficult to see him as the person in charge of Yoon’s residence.

Park Chan-dae, leader of the opposition Liberal Democratic Party, called the anti-corruption agency’s withdrawal regrettable and urged the agency to make another attempt to detain Yoon on Friday.

Kwon Young-se, who chairs the emergency leadership committee of Yoon’s conservative People Power Party, called the agency’s efforts to detain Yoon “grossly unfair and completely inappropriate,” saying there was no risk that Yoon would try to flee or destroy evidence.

Thousands of police officers gathered at Yoon’s residence on Friday, forming a perimeter around a growing group of pro-Yeon protesters who braved freezing temperatures for hours, waving South Korean and American flags while chanting slogans pledging to protect him. There were no immediate reports of major clashes outside the residence.

Yun’s defense minister, police chief and several senior military commanders have already been detained for their roles during the martial law period.

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 deliberations on whether to uphold the impeachment and formally remove Yoon from office or reinstate him. At least six judges on the nine-member Constitutional Court must vote in favor of his removal from office.

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, new interim President Choi appointed two new judges on Tuesday, which could increase the chances of the court upholding Yoon’s removal.