SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean investigators waited for hours outside the official residence of impeached President Yoon Seok-yeol as the presidential security service prevented them from executing a warrant to detain him, the latest in a paralyzing political crisis. Confronting South Korean politics, two heads of state were impeached in less than a month.
Yoon is a former prosecutor who investigators have been trying to question for weeks. He is understood to have left his official residence for the last time on December 12, when he traveled to the nearby Cheong Wa Dae to deliver a televised statement to the nation, provocatively saying he would fight efforts to oust him.
Yoon, apparently frustrated that his policies were blocked by the opposition-dominated parliament, declared martial law on December 3 and sent troops to surround the National Assembly as investigators from the country’s anti-corruption agency considered rebellion charges.
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Congress voted unanimously within hours to overturn the statement and impeach Yoon on Dec. 14, charging him with rebellion, while South Korea’s anti-corruption authorities and prosecutors launched separate investigations into the incidents.
A Seoul court issued a detention order for Mr. Yoon on Tuesday, but enforcement is complicated as long as he remains at his official residence.
Yoon’s lawyers challenged the search warrant on Thursday, saying it could not be executed at his residence because the law stipulates that locations that may be related to military secrets cannot be searched without the consent of the person in charge. The warrant is valid for one week.
They also argue that the Office for the Investigation of Corruption of Senior Officials, which is leading a joint probe with police and military investigators, lacks the authority to investigate the insurgency allegations. They said police did not have the legal authority to assist in Yun’s detention and could face arrest by “presidential security services or any citizen.” They did not elaborate further on the claim.
If investigators manage to detain Yin, they may ask a court to authorize a formal arrest. Otherwise, he will be released after 48 hours.
Thousands of police officers gathered at Mr Yun’s residence on Friday, forming a cordon around a growing number of pro-Yin protesters who braved sub-zero temperatures for hours to wave South Korean flags. and American flags while chanting slogans in support of Mr. Yoon. There were no immediate reports of major clashes outside the residence.
The dramatic scene appeared to have developed into a standoff nearly five hours after dozens of investigators and police entered the gate of the Seoul home to execute Yoon’s detention order. At noon, two lawyers, Yoon Gap-geun and Kim Hong-il, were spotted entering the gate of the presidential residence.
Seok Dong-hyun, one of several lawyers on Yoon’s legal team, confirmed that investigators had arrived at the building but said they were unlikely to detain the president on Friday. He said the agency’s efforts to detain Yin were “reckless” and showed a “shameless abandonment of the law.”
The anti-corruption agency did not immediately respond to questions about whether investigators had successfully entered Mr. Yoon’s residential building, but South Korea’s YTN television reported a scuffle as investigators and police confronted the president’s security forces.
South Korea’s Defense Ministry confirmed that investigators and police passed through military units guarding the grounds of the residence before reaching the building. The presidential security service, which controls the residence itself, declined to comment on whether its members confronted investigators and whether they planned to thwart the detention attempt.
The liberal opposition Democratic Party called on the country’s acting leader, Vice Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, to order the layoffs of the presidential security services. Choi did not immediately comment on the matter.
“Don’t drag honest presidential security staff and other public officials into the abyss of crime,” said Democratic lawmaker Cao Shenglai. Joe said Choi must “remember that it is your responsibility to resolve the rebellion quickly and prevent further chaos.”
Yin’s defense minister, police chief and several top military commanders have been arrested for their roles during martial law.
Yoon Eun-hye’s presidential powers have been suspended since the National Assembly voted to impeach Yoon Eun-hye on December 14. At least six of the nine Constitutional Court judges must vote in favor to remove him.
South Korea’s National Assembly voted last week to impeach South Korean Prime Minister Han Deok-soo, who served as acting president after Yoon Eun-hye was suspended, because he was unwilling to fill three vacancies in the Constitutional Court before the court reviewed Yoon Eun-hye’s case.
Faced with mounting pressure, new acting President Cui Tiankai appointed two new judges on Tuesday, which may increase the likelihood that the court will support Yun Eun-hye’s impeachment.
