A Seoul court authorized the detention of President Yoon Suk Yeol on charges of insurrection.
An attempt by South Korea’s Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) to arrest impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday morning was thwarted by Presidential Security Service (PSS) military personnel, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The confrontation occurred at Yoon’s residence, where troops, reportedly from the 55th Security Brigade, prevented the arrest, escalating tensions surrounding this unprecedented action against a sitting president, according to Friday’s Yonhap report.
The arrest attempt was further complicated by a large gathering of Yoon’s supporters near his home. Yonhap reported that approximately 30 protesters were forcibly removed on Thursday after breaching a police barricade and clashing with officers.
A Seoul court issued the warrant on Tuesday, charging Yoon with orchestrating the December 3rd martial law declaration, leading an insurrection, and abusing his power. The warrant was issued after Yoon ignored three summons to answer these charges.
“We have commenced executing a detention warrant for President Yoon,” the CIO announced to reporters outside the presidential residence during their earlier attempt to arrest the impeached leader.
Yoon declared in a message to supporters earlier this week that he would “fight to the end to protect this country.”
Yoon’s lawyer argued that if police attempted the arrest on behalf of the CIO, the PSS had the authority to detain them for abuse of power and obstruction, according to Yonhap. The impeached president’s legal team filed for an injunction against the warrant, labeling it “illegal,” the newspaper reported.
Police warned of potential detention for obstruction charges against the PSS or Yoon’s supporters if they interfered with the CIO’s arrest attempt.
While Yoon enjoys presidential immunity, it doesn’t extend to charges of insurrection or treason. On December 3rd, he declared martial law and deployed troops to the South Korean Parliament. Videos from that night depict armed soldiers confronting lawmakers who resisted with fire extinguishers as parliament prepared to vote on measures to oppose the president’s orders.
South Korean lawmakers overturned the martial law declaration via parliamentary vote within six hours. Yoon was subsequently suspended from his duties following an impeachment vote on December 14th.
Interim President Han Duck-soo, who assumed office after Yoon’s suspension, was also impeached last week for refusing to appoint justices to the Constitutional Court, a necessary step to finalize Yoon’s impeachment. South Korean Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok became the country’s acting president last Friday.