South Korean investigators made a new attempt to arrest impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday over a failed martial law effort, but they were involved in clashes after being stopped by his guards.
Yoon has protested the arrest as he plunged the country into its worst political crisis in decades following a short-lived power grab on December 3, when he sent troops to storm the parliament in a failed attempt to stop lawmakers voting against his move. Was instructed.
The former star prosecutor, who has already been suspended from duty by lawmakers, would become the first sitting president to be arrested in South Korean history if the court-ordered warrant is executed.
“The execution of the president’s arrest warrant has begun,” Acting President Choi Sang-mok said in a statement.
“This situation is a critical moment to maintain order and the rule of law in South Korea.”
On a morning of high drama, a joint team of Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) investigators and police officers tried to enter the residence’s premises but were stopped by unidentified personnel at the entrance, AFP journalists observed.
Yonhap reported that the investigators were then involved in a “physical clash” as they tried to forcefully enter the residence, without disclosing who they were with.
An AFP journalist witnessed punches thrown as rival sides pushed each other in a clash between investigators and those guarding the residence.
At least one person was injured in a fall during the standoff. He was taken away by fire officials.
Yoon’s lawyers were seen protesting the execution of the arrest warrant in front of the residence, and later a white police van tried to enter the premises without success.
Sided with the suspended Yoon, Choi said that those who caused any disturbance at the site would be punished.
“If serious violations lead to unfortunate incidents, as acting president I will hold them strictly accountable,” he said.
The first attempt to arrest Yoon on January 3 failed after a tense hours-long standoff with his Presidential Security Service (PSS), who refused to move when investigators tried to execute their warrant.
– Supporters were removed –
According to Yonhap News TV, investigators were also attempting to enter the residence via an alternative mountain walkway near the official residence.
The main road in front of Yun’s residence was completely blocked with police bus barricades early Wednesday, while thousands of his staunch supporters gathered outside.
His supporters chanted “Illegal warrant!” Slogans were heard. Glow sticks and waving South Korean and American flags.
Police and CIO officers began forcibly removing them from the entrance of the residence, while about 30 lawmakers from Yun’s ruling People’s Power Party were blocking investigators, Yonhap News TV reported.
Since the first failed attempt, authorities have threatened to detain anyone who hinders the current leader’s arrest in the latest attempt.
Yonhap News TV on Wednesday said police said they would execute an arrest warrant against the acting chief of Yun’s presidential guard.
-Parallel Testing-
Yun’s guards have been seen in recent days erecting barbed wire and barricades at the residence, turning it into an opposition “fortress”.
Due to the tense situation, police decided not to carry firearms for the new attempt on Wednesday and to wear only bulletproof vests in case they were met by armed guards, local media reported.
If arrested, Yoon can be detained for up to 48 hours on the existing warrant. Investigators will have to apply for another arrest warrant to keep him in custody.
Yoon’s legal team – which says he lives inside the residence – has called the warrant illegal and his chief of staff on Tuesday appealed for an end to arrest efforts.
In a parallel investigation, Yoon’s impeachment trial began with an abbreviated hearing on Tuesday, which he declined to attend.
Although his failure to appear – which his team has attributed to alleged security concerns – forced a procedural adjournment, the hearing will continue without Yoon, with the next hearing scheduled for Thursday.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
