Dramatic developments surrounding arrest warrant for South Korean leader

Investigators are seeking to arrest impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol amid resistance from the security team as the arrest warrant is about to expire.

Yesterday (January 5), thousands of South Koreans braved the sub-zero temperatures of a snowstorm to protest in the capital Seoul and support the arrest of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, according to Yonhap News Agency.

The arrest warrant is about to expire.

In addition to being impeached by parliament over the imposition of martial law last month, Mr. Yoon is also under criminal investigation and is likely to be charged with sedition. While he has cooperated with the Constitutional Court’s trial despite the risk of being impeached, Mr. Yoon has so far resisted the criminal investigation led by the Corruption Investigation Office of Senior Officials (CIO), arguing that the agency lacks jurisdiction.

Unable to get past South Korean presidential security team, investigators stop arrest warrant

CIO agents and police raided Yoon’s residence on January 3 to execute a court-approved arrest warrant, but eventually retreated to ensure safety amid opposition from hundreds of agents from the Presidential Security Service (PSS). According to South Korean media, the PSS cited the presidential security law as giving it the right to protect Yoon until the leader is officially removed from office.

Police block protesters against Yoon Suk Yeol near his residence in Seoul on January 5.

With the warrant set to expire at the end of the day on January 6, it is possible that investigators will attempt to arrest the leader again. Meanwhile, the PSS announced yesterday that it would not cooperate with officials seeking to arrest Mr. Yoon, citing the legality of the warrant as controversial. Mr. Yoon’s defense team asked the court to suspend the “illegal and invalid” arrest warrant, but the Seoul Western District Court rejected the request on January 5.

The parties' moves

According to legal experts, in case of continued obstruction, the CIO can skip the arrest and direct questioning step and request a detention warrant if it deems there is sufficient evidence. If the request is accepted, the case must proceed to trial within 20 days, according to The Korea Times.

The CIO has called on Acting President Choi Sang-mok to instruct the PSS to comply with the arrest warrant, but the leader has not responded. Yesterday, Mr. Choi urged government officials to be extremely cautious to avoid causing injury to civilians during law enforcement operations. The statement is believed to be a reference to the clash between members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) protesting against Mr. Yoon and police a day earlier.

On the other hand, Mr. Yoon's legal team accused investigators of mobilizing special police to arrest the leader even though they did not have the authority to do so. The lawyers said they would ask the prosecution to investigate CIO Director Oh Dong-woon and those involved in executing the "illegal" arrest warrant.

Mr. Yoon ignored the cabinet's warning.

AFP on January 5 quoted a report by the South Korean prosecution force saying that President Yoon Suk Yeol ignored the objections of cabinet members before declaring martial law last month.

The opponents, including the prime minister, foreign minister and finance minister, expressed concern about the economic and diplomatic impact of martial law. However, Mr Yoon said there was "no turning back" and accused the opposition, which controls parliament, of bringing the country to its knees. "At that point, both the economy and diplomacy will cease to function," Mr Yoon said. Mr Yoon's lawyer has denied the report.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/gay-can-dien-bien-quanh-lenh-bat-lanh-dao-han-quoc-185250105230136648.htm