Police in South Korea call off arrest of President following standoff with secret service

The impeached president faces imprisonment or, at worst, the death penalty.

LAST UPDATE | 3 Jan 2025

INVESTIGATORS IN SOUTH Korea have abandoned their attempt to arrest the impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol at his home on Friday, citing safety concerns following an hours-long standoff with his security team.

Yoon, who last month was suspended from his duties by parliamentarians following a failed bid to invoke martial law over a budgetary dispute, would be the first sitting president of the county to be arrested if the warrant was carried out.

He now faces imprisonment or, at worst, the death penalty for his shock declaration on 3 December.

South Korea’s corruption investigation office (CIO), investigating Yoon, said it was “effectively impossible” for them to carry out the arrest warrant issued for the President due to an “ongoing standoff”.

“Concern for the safety of personnel on-site led to the decision to halt the execution of the arrest warrant,” a statement said.

police-officers-arrive-at-the-gate-of-the-presidential-residence-as-supporters-of-impeached-south-korean-president-yoon-suk-yeol-stage-a-rally-to-oppose-a-court-having-issued-a-warrant-to-detain-yoon Police gather outside the Presidential residence in Seoul to control crowds and assist with the execution of an arrest warrant. Alamy Alamy

Around 20 investigators and 80 police officers were heavily outnumbered by more than 200 soldiers and security personnel linking arms to block their way after entering the presidential compound, a CIO official told a briefing.

“I understand there were minor and major physical altercations,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, adding that buses and cars were also parked to block their way.

Negotiations between the two sides ultimately faltered and the investigators decided to leave for their team’s safety, although another execution of the warrant could take place after a review, the official said.

The deadline for the warrant is Monday, leaving it in limbo with just a few days remaining and Yoon defiant, vowing this week to “fight” authorities trying to question him.

Yoon’s security service – which still protects him as the country’s sitting head of state – has previously blocked attempted police raids of the presidential office. He has also ignored three rounds of summons from investigators.

police-officers-stand-guard-as-they-wait-for-the-arrival-of-impeached-south-korean-president-yoon-suk-yeol-near-the-corruption-investigation-office-for-high-ranking-officials-in-gwacheon-south-korea Police stand guard as they wait for officers to arrest impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol Alamy Alamy

Yoon’s legal team – who raced to the residence and whom AFP saw were allowed inside – said police had no right to execute the warrant at a “first-class military secret protection facility”.

“We express deep regret regarding today’s unlawful and invalid execution of arrest and search warrants,” the president’s lawyer Yoon Kab-keun said in a statement. “I issue a stern warning and strongly urge the CIO to comply with the law.”

Dozens of police buses and thousands of uniformed police had lined the street outside the compound in central Seoul to prevent clashes after rival camps faced off there on Thursday, Yonhap news agency reported

All-night prayers

CIO officials had wanted to arrest Yoon for questioning, after which he could have been held for up to 48 hours on the existing warrant.

A handful of Yoon’s die-hard supporters, who include far-right YouTube personalities and evangelical Christian preachers, had camped outside his compound in the bitter cold, some holding all-night prayer sessions.

They chanted “illegal warrant is invalid” as police and media gathered outside the residence.

Lee Hye-sook, a 57-year-old Yoon supporter, said protesters were trying to stop opposition figures from “attempting to transform our country into a socialist state, similar to North Korea”.

supporters-of-impeached-south-korean-president-yoon-suk-yeol-stage-a-rally-to-oppose-a-court-having-issued-a-warrant-to-detain-yoon-near-the-presidential-residence-in-seoul-south-korea-friday-jan Yoon's supports have been rallying and praying outside the presidential residence in Seoul this week. Alamy Alamy

Yoon has doubled down on claims the opposition was in league with South Korea’s communist enemies. His legal team had already tried to block the arrest warrant at the constitutional court.

CIO head Oh Dong-woon had warned that anyone trying to stop authorities from arresting Yoon could face prosecution.

Legal experts said the refusal to comply with the court-ordered warrant was concerning.

“A president too is a figure equal under the law and that he did not comply with a warrant issued legally by a court is truly a lamentable circumstance,” said Lee Jong-soo, a law professor at Yonsei University.

South Korean officials have previously failed to execute similar arrest warrants for lawmakers – in 2000 and 2004 – due to party members and supporters blocking police for the seven days the warrants were valid.

Yoon also faces a separate Constitutional Court hearing that will confirm or reject his impeachment by parliament. In rare comments about the South’s politics, North Korean state media said on Friday Seoul was in “political chaos” over attempts to arrest Yoon.