South Korea’s impeached president defies arrest in hours-long standoff

Seoul: South Korean investigators left the president’s official residence after a nearly six-hour standoff during which he defied their attempt detain him, in the latest confrontation of a political crisis that has paralysed South Korean politics and seen two heads of state impeached in under a month.

The country’s anti-corruption agency said it withdrew its investigators after the presidential security service blocked them from entering President Yoon Suk Yeol’s residence for hours due to concerns about their safety. The agency expressed “serious regret about the attitude of the suspect, who did not respond to a process by law”.

Yoon, a former prosecutor, has defied attempts to question him for weeks. The last time he is known to have left the residence was on December 12, when he went to the nearby presidential office to make a defiant televised statement to the nation, declaring he would fight efforts to oust him.

Members of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials arrive in front of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s official residence in Seoul.Credit: Getty Images

Investigators from the country’s anti-corruption agency are weighing charges of rebellion after Yoon, apparently frustrated that his policies were blocked by an opposition-dominated parliament, declared martial law on December 3 and dispatched troops to surround the National Assembly.

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

A Seoul court issued a warrant for Yoon’s detention on Tuesday, but enforcing it is complicated as long as he remains in his official residence.

Yoon’s lawyers, who filed a challenge to the warrant on Thursday, say it cannot be enforced at his residence due to a law that protects locations potentially linked to military secrets from search without the consent of the person in charge. The warrant is valid for one week.

Police officers near the presidential residence in Seoul drag away supporters of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol.Credit: AP

They’ve also argued that the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), which is leading a joint investigation with police and military investigators, lacks the authority to investigate rebellion charges. They said that police officers don’t have the legal authority to assist in detaining Yoon, and could face arrest by either the “presidential security service or any citizens”. They didn’t elaborate further on the claim.

If investigators manage to detain Yoon, they will likely ask a court for permission to make a formal arrest. Otherwise, he will be released after 48 hours.

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

Police officers escort away a supporter of the president.Credit: AP

Broadcaster YTN reported that about 2800 police had been mobilised in preparation for executing the arrest warrant.

“We have to block them with our lives,” one protester was heard saying to others. About a dozen protesters tried to block a group of police officers at the entrance to a pedestrian overpass.

Some chanted “President Yoon Suk Yeol will be protected by the people”, and called for the head of the CIO to be arrested.

Pyeong In-su, 74, said that the police had to be stopped by “patriotic citizens”, a term Yoon used to describe those standing guard near his residence.

Impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks at the presidential residence on December 14.Credit: nna\advidler

Holding a flag of the United States and South Korea with the words “Let’s go together” in English and Korean, Pyeong said he hoped US President-elect Donald Trump would come to Yoon’s aid.

“I hope after Trump’s inauguration he can use his influence to help our country get back on the right track,” he said.

Two of Yoon’s lawyers, Yoon Kap-keun and Kim Hong-il, were seen entering the gate of the presidential residence around noon.

Seok Dong-hyeon, one of several lawyers on Yoon’s legal team, said investigators’ efforts to detain Yoon were “reckless” and showed an “outrageous disregard for law”.

The anti-corruption agency didn’t immediately reply to questions about whether investigators successfully entered Yoon’s residential building, but South Korea’s YTN television reported scuffles as investigators and police confronted the presidential security forces.

Police officers stand guard as supporters of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol gather near the presidential residence.Credit: Bloomberg

South Korea’s Defence Ministry confirmed that the investigators and police officers got past a military unit guarding the residence’s grounds before arriving at the building. The presidential security service, which controls the residence itself, refused to comment on whether its members were confronting investigators and whether they planned to block the detention attempt.

The liberal opposition Democratic Party called on the country’s acting leader, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, to order the presidential security service to stand down. Choi didn’t immediately comment on the situation.

“Do not drag the upright staff of the presidential security service and other public officials into the depths of crime,” said Jo Seung-lae, a Democratic lawmaker. Choi must “remember that swiftly addressing the rebellion and preventing further chaos is your responsibility”, Jo said.

Yoon’s defence minister, police chief and several top military commanders have already been arrested over their roles in the period of martial law.

Yoon’s presidential powers have been suspended since the National Assembly voted to impeach him on December 14. His fate now lies with the Constitutional Court, which has begun deliberations on whether to uphold the impeachment and formally remove him from office or reinstate him. At least six justices on the nine-member Constitutional Court must vote in favour to remove him from office.

The National Assembly voted last week to impeach Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who became acting president after Yoon’s powers were suspended, over his reluctance to fill three Constitutional Court vacancies ahead of the court’s review of Yoon’s case.

Facing growing pressure, the new acting president, Choi, appointed two new justices on Tuesday, which could increase the chances of the court upholding Yoon’s impeachment.

Yoon’s supporters stage a rally on Thursday to oppose the president’s potential arrest after a court issued a warrant.Credit: nna\advidler

AP, Reuters

Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.