On January 2, 2025, in Seoul, South Korea, about 30 supporters of impeached President Yoon Seok-yeol held a sit-in protest in front of his official residence to prevent the police from arresting Yoon Seok-yeol. Became the first sitting president of South Korea to face arrest. (Photo by Chris Jung/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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South Korea’s presidential guard and the military engaged in a tense six-hour standoff at the Yun Seok-yeol compound in central Seoul on Friday, preventing authorities from arresting impeached President Yun Seok-yeol.
Yoon is under criminal investigation for the Dec. 3 martial law rebellion, which shocked South Korea and led to the issuance of the first arrest warrant for a sitting president.
“It has been judged that it is virtually impossible to execute the arrest warrant due to the ongoing impasse,” the CIO said in a statement.
The information chief and police hid from hundreds of Yoon supporters who gathered near Yoon’s home before dawn on Friday and vowed to stop the arrests “with our lives.”
Some chanted “President Yoon Seok-yeol will be protected by the people” and called for the arrest of the chief information officer.
A joint investigative team led by the chief information chief, whose officials arrived at the presidential palace gates shortly after 7am (2200 GMT Thursday), is looking into possible rebellion charges related to Yun’s brief declaration of martial law. , and enter on foot.
Once inside the compound, the CIO and police officers were outnumbered by Presidential Security Service (PSS) personnel as well as troops seconded to the Presidential Security Service, a CIO official told reporters.
SONGNAM, KOREA – OCTOBER 1: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will hold the 76th Korean Armed Forces Day celebration on October 1, 2024 in Seongnam, South Korea. This anniversary ceremony commemorates the crossing of the 38th parallel by South Korean troops on October 1 during the Korean War. (Photo by Kim Hong Gil – Pool/Getty Images)
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The official added that more than 200 PSS agents and soldiers formed a multi-layered human chain to block the CIO and police. Although there was an argument and the PSB agents appeared to be armed, no weapons were drawn during the confrontation, the official said.
Yoon, who has been in isolation since he was impeached and suspended from office on December 14, said no one saw him during the standoff.
South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense said these troops were under the control of the PSS.
The chief information officer called off the operation to arrest Yin around 1:30 p.m. due to concerns about personnel being obstructed and said he “deeply regrets” Yin’s failure to comply with regulations.
The chief information officer said he would consider next steps. The police, who are part of a joint investigation team, have named the director and deputy director of the Public Security Bureau as suspects in a criminal case of obstructing official duties and issued summonses for them to appear in court for questioning on Saturday, Yonhap News Agency reported.
Insurrection is one of the few criminal charges against which South Korea’s president does not have immunity.
Mr Yin, who ignored multiple summonses to appear in court, was granted court approval on Tuesday and the arrest warrant is valid until January 6.
After the arrests were suspended, Yoon’s legal team said in a statement that the CIO had no authority to investigate the insurrection and regrettably sought to “force the execution of illegal and invalid arrest and search warrants” in a sensitive security area.
The statement warned police not to support the arrests.
The interim leader of Yun’s People’s Power party welcomed the suspension and said the investigation must proceed without detaining Yun.
The current warrant only requires investigators to detain Yin within 48 hours of his arrest. Investigators must then decide whether to apply for a detention order or release him.
Surprise martial law
Yin’s late-night declaration of martial law to break political deadlock and root out “anti-national forces” sent shockwaves through Asia’s fourth-largest economy and one of the region’s most dynamic democracies.
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, saying domestic political opponents sympathized with North Korea and citing unsubstantiated claims of election tampering.
Two South Korean military officials, including Army Chief Park Ahn-soo, who was appointed commander of martial law during the brief declaration of martial law, were indicted after being detained by prosecutors investigating accusations of rebellion, Yonhap news agency reported on Friday.
Kim Yong-hyun, who resigned as defense minister over his role in imposing martial law, has been detained and charged last week with rebellion and abuse of power.
In addition to the criminal investigation, his impeachment case is currently before the Constitutional Court to decide whether to reinstate him or remove him permanently. The second hearing in the case was held on Friday, and the court has scheduled first oral arguments on January 14.
One of Yin’s lawyers, Pei Zhenhan, told reporters that Yin may not attend the first debate, but is likely to attend future hearings to demonstrate his position.
