South Korea’s political leadership found itself in unfamiliar territory when the sitting president defied arrest following a failed martial law decree, just days before the warrant’s expiration.
In a dramatic turn of events on Friday, Yoon Suk Yeol’s presidential guards and military forces protected the former star prosecutor from investigators, who eventually halted their arrest attempt due to safety concerns.
The South Korean president was impeached and suspended last month following the botched martial law declaration—a political move that was quickly overturned by parliament—with a separate warrant later issued for his arrest.
“There was a standoff. While we estimated the personnel blocking us to be around 200, there could have been more,” an official from the investigation team shared on Friday under the condition of anonymity.
Mr. Yoon is facing criminal charges of insurrection, one of the few offenses not covered by presidential immunity, which could lead to a prison sentence or, in the worst-case scenario, the death penalty.
South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol (File image)
If implemented, the warrant would mark Mr. Yoon as the first sitting president in history to be arrested.
Since his impeachment, Mr. Yoon has remained secluded in his presidential residence in the capital, Seoul, refusing to appear for questioning on three separate occasions.
The unprecedented confrontation—which reportedly involved clashes, but no gunfire—resulted in investigators being left in limbo as the court-ordered warrant is set to expire on Monday.
Officials from the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO), which is looking into Mr. Yoon’s martial law declaration, indicated there may be another attempt to arrest him before the warrant lapses.
However, if the warrant expires, they will need to seek a new one from the same Seoul court that issued the original summons.
The Constitutional Court has scheduled 14 January for the commencement of Mr. Yoon’s impeachment trial, which will proceed in his absence if he does not attend.
Former presidents Roh Moo-hyun and Park Geun-hye never attended their impeachment trials.
Mr. Yoon’s legal team condemned Friday’s arrest attempt as “unlawful and invalid,” vowing to initiate legal actions.
Experts noted that investigators might await further legal grounds before making another attempt to arrest the suspended president.
“It may be challenging to carry out the arrest until the Constitutional Court rules on the impeachment motion and revokes his presidential title,” remarked Chae Jin-won from Humanitas College at Kyung Hee University to AFP.
‘Stable path’
South Korean media reported that CIO officials aimed to arrest Mr. Yoon and take him to their offices in Gwacheon near Seoul for questioning.
If this had occurred, he could have been detained for up to 48 hours under the existing warrant, although investigators would have needed to secure another arrest warrant to prolong his custody.
Despite the political stalemate initiated by his December 3 decree, Mr. Yoon remains resolute.
He assured his right-wing supporters this week that he would fight “to the very end” for his political survival.
By the time investigators endeavored to execute the warrant for his arrest, Mr. Yoon had fortified his presidential compound with hundreds of security forces to avert it.
Read more: South Korea investigators say attempt to arrest president halted South Korea’s president reverses martial law effort after lawmakers reject it
Approximately 20 investigators and 80 police officers were significantly outnumbered by some 200 soldiers and security personnel who linked arms to obstruct their entry into the presidential compound.
A tense six-hour standoff unfolded until early Friday afternoon, when the investigators retreated to avoid potential violence.
The ongoing political turmoil has jeopardized the country’s stability.
South Korea’s key security ally, the United States, has urged the political elite to pursue a “stable path” forward.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to sustaining bilateral relations and readiness to respond to “any external provocations or threats.”
Outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is slated to engage in discussions in Seoul on Monday, focusing on the political crisis as well as concerns about the nuclear-armed neighbor, North Korea.
