With the arrest warrant for impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol expiring on Monday, the country’s anti-corruption agency has asked police to step in detain the embattled leader, according to Yonhap news agency.
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials reportedly made the request to police on Sunday.
“The CIO sent us an official letter requesting our cooperation without prior consultations,” a police official told the South Korean publication. “We are internally carrying out a legal review.”
The request comes after investigators abandoned an hours-long effort to detain Yoon at his residence in Seoul on Friday.
Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally to oppose a court having issued a warrant to detain Yoon, as police offices stand guard near the presidential residence in Seoul, Jan. 3, 2025.
Lee Jin-Man/AP
Police vehicles and crowds of the impeached president’s backers were seen outside his home in the South Korean capital over the weekend. Photos showed protesters lying down in front of police in an attempt to block authorities from the residence.
ABC News confirmed that anti-corruption authorities entered the gate on Yoon’s property, after which a standoff ensued between his security team and police investigators. There were 3,000 police officers on the scene.
However, investigators eventually abandoned their effort some five hours after arriving.
Pro-Yoon Suk Yeol supporters gather outside the official residence of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Jan. 2, 2025, in Seoul.
Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images
“We determined that executing the detention warrant would be practically impossible due to the continued confrontation and suspended the execution out of concern for the safety of on-site personnel caused by the resistance,” the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials said in a statement, quoted by Yonhap news agency.
“We plan to decide on the next steps following a review,” the CIO said. “We express serious regret over the behavior of the suspect who refused to comply with legally set procedures,” it added.
The effort to detain Yoon came after a South Korean court issued an arrest and search warrant on Dec. 31 over his short-lived imposition of martial law, ABC News confirmed. Yoon has been suspended from his position since Dec. 14.
Supporters of impeached South Korea president Yoon Suk Yeol take part in a rally near his residence as snow falls in Seoul on Jan. 5, 2025.
Philip Fong/AFP via Getty Images
Yoon declared martial law in a televised speech on Dec. 3. The president said the measure was necessary due to the actions of the country’s liberal opposition, the Democratic Party, which he accused of controlling parliament, sympathizing with North Korea and paralyzing the government.
Under South Korea’s constitution, if a sitting president is accused of insurrection, the police have the authority to arrest him while he is still in office.
A joint investigation team sought the warrant on insurrection and abuse of power charges after they said Yoon ignored three summonses to appear for questioning.
The court’s decision to grant the warrant marks the first for a president in the country’s history.
ABC News’ Joohee Cho and Will Gretsky contributed to this report.
Source: abc news
