South Korean investigators reportedly faced off with a military force inside the presidential palace as they tried to arrest the country’s suspended leader, Yoon Suk Yeol, weeks after his failed attempt to declare martial law.
On Friday morning, officials from the Corruption Investigation Office entered Yoon’s Seoul home through heavy security checks, while his supporters faced off with police outside.
Investigators issued a statement saying they had begun executing the arrest warrant. “The execution of the arrest warrant for President Yoon Seok-yeol has begun,” the office said.
If he is detained, Yoon, who was impeached by Congress last month, would become the first sitting president to be arrested. The anti-corruption agency will have 48 hours to investigate him and either apply for a formal arrest warrant or release him.
Yin’s defense minister, police chief and several top military commanders have been arrested for their roles in martial law.
While the country’s Constitutional Court decides whether to uphold the impeachment vote – a move that would trigger new presidential elections – Yoon faces rebellion charges stemming from his brief period of martial law.
Yun declared martial law on December 3 in an attempt to root out what he called anti-state, pro-North Korea forces – in this case, opposition members of the National Assembly. However, he did not provide any evidence for these claims.
He was forced to cancel the order six hours later after lawmakers forced their way past military forces into the parliament building to vote down the order.
According to media reports, investigators began trying to arrest Yoon around 8:15 a.m. on Friday, and he had been holed up at his residence in Seoul.
The criminal charges against Yoon, an ultraconservative who has been marred by scandal and policy gridlock during his two-and-a-half years in power, are serious.
Rebellion is one of the few crimes for which South Korea’s president does not have immunity, and the punishment can include life imprisonment or even the death penalty.
Tensions have been rising outside Yoon’s home since a court issued an arrest warrant earlier this week after he ignored a summons for questioning.
Broadcaster YTN reported that 2,800 police officers were deployed in the area, and Yin’s supporters were expected to try to prevent investigators from executing the arrest warrant, which was due to expire on Monday. There were no immediate reports of clashes with protesters.
It was unclear how police would carry out the arrests and whether members of the presidential security service would stop them. Yin’s security personnel had previously prevented police from searching Yin’s office and home.
About 100 protesters gathered near Yin’s home before dawn after local media reported that authorities would try to execute the arrest warrant.
“We have to stop them with our lives,” one said to other demonstrators. About a dozen protesters tried to block a group of police officers at the entrance to the pedestrian bridge.
Yin previously told supporters in a letter that he would “fight to the end.”
“I am watching live on YouTube of all the hard work you are doing,” he wrote to hundreds of supporters who gathered near his official residence late Wednesday to protest the investigation into him.
“I will fight with you to the end to protect this country,” he said in the letter. Seok Dong-hyeon, Yoon’s counsel, sent a photo of the letter to the media.
An arrest warrant was issued for Yoon and his office and residence were searched after he was questioned in a criminal investigation outside the Constitutional Court trial despite repeated summonses from investigators.
Yin shocked the country when he declared martial law late at night on December 3 to break the political deadlock and root out “anti-national forces.”
Within hours, however, 190 lawmakers voted against Yin’s order, defying a military and police blockade. About six hours after the original decree was issued, Yin withdrew the decree.
He later offered a defiant defense of his decision, calling it a legitimate “act of governance.” He again accused domestic political opponents of sympathizing with North Korea and made unsubstantiated claims of election tampering. Although Yoon won the last presidential election, the opposition Democratic Party controls the 300-seat Congress.
Yin has been in isolation since he was impeached and suspended from office on December 14.
The Constitutional Court is scheduled to hold a second hearing on the impeachment case later on Friday, separate from the criminal investigation.