SEOUL: South Korean investigators called off their attempt to arrest impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at his residence on Friday (Jan 3) over his failed martial law bid, citing safety concerns after a standoff with his security team.
“Regarding the execution of the arrest warrant today, it was determined that the execution was effectively impossible due to the ongoing standoff. Concern for the safety of personnel on-site led to the decision to halt the execution,” the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) said in a statement.
Authorities entered Yoon’s compound earlier to execute an unprecedented arrest warrant, evading a crowd of protesters outside, but were confronted by presidential security forces inside.
Yoon, who has already been suspended from duty by lawmakers, would become the first sitting president in South Korean history to be arrested if the warrant is carried out.
The Presidential Security Service (PSS) has previously blocked access by investigators with a search warrant to Yoon’s office and official residence.
Investigators from the CIO, including senior prosecutor Lee Dae-hwan, were let through heavy security barricades to enter the residence to attempt to execute their warrant to detain Yoon, AFP reporters saw.
But they were blocked by a military unit inside after entering, the Yonhap news agency reported.
They later moved past that unit to confront security service members inside the residence.
Officials from the CIO, which is leading a joint team of investigators that includes the police and prosecutors, had arrived at the gates of Yoon’s compound shortly after 7am (6am, Singapore time).
Media reports said the CIO vehicles did not immediately enter the compound, partly due to a bus blocking the driveway.
Source: CNA
