South Korean investigators made a second attempt to arrest the accused president
Authorities investigating ousted South Korean President Yun Suk-yeol arrived at his home on Wednesday in a second attempt to arrest him over his ill-fated martial law declaration last month.
Police have sent about 3,200 officers to the president’s sprawling hilltop estate in Seoul, where he has been holed up for weeks surrounded by a personal security detail, according to Reuters.
The video shows officers closing in on Yeon’s home, where hundreds of his supporters gathered to protest on his behalf, according to Reuters. They are said to have been seen pushing each other in the past.
South Korea’s indicted president did not make an arrest attempt in the afternoon
An earlier attempt to arrest Yoon was aborted on January 3 following a six-hour standoff between military guards and the president’s security staff.
In a statement on Wednesday, Interim President Choi Sang-mok reiterated the need to prevent physical confrontation between state agencies. “If unfortunate events occur, I will hold them firmly accountable.”
Authorities are making a second attempt to arrest South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who was suspended following martial law last month. (South Korea Presidential Office via AP, file)
Executing the UN arrest warrant proved difficult for investigators, as the president’s legal adviser insisted that it could not be done under a law that prohibits warrantless searches of sites that may be linked to military secrets.
Yoon’s lawyers denounced such a warrant as an illegal way to publicly humiliate him.
As the political crisis escalates, an arrest warrant has been issued for the indicted South Korean president.
The arrest warrant is the first to be issued against a sitting South Korean president. Yoon’s order came after he declared martial law on December 3 after the opposition-dominated parliament refused to accept key points on his political agenda.
The move was condemned inside South Korea and abroad, with analysts expressing shock at the sudden and unprecedented move in what is traditionally Asia’s most stable democracy.
Police officers are seen closing in on President Yoon Suk-yeol’s residence in Seoul, South Korea, along with investigators from the High-Level Corruption Investigation Bureau. (Reuters/Kim Hong-ji)
Parliament unanimously rejected Yeon’s statement, then on December 14, he was suspended by a 204-85 vote that included members of his own party.
If the Constitutional Court approves the petition with a three-quarters vote, it will become official.
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The court’s next hearing is scheduled for Thursday.
Reuters contributed to this report.
