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Pro-Yoon Suk Yeol supporters at his residence in Seoul
South Korean police have called off an attempt to arrest suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol after a six-hour standoff with his security team.
Yoon is under investigation for abuse of power and inciting insurrection when he attempted to impose martial law in early December.
This decision, although short-lived, led to a political crisis when Yoon was impeached by an opposition-led parliament and suspended from office.
A Seoul court issued an arrest warrant for him earlier this week after he ignored three summons for questioning.
Dozens of police vans lined the street in front of Yoon’s residence in central Seoul on Friday morning.
At around 08:00 local time (23:00 GMT), an arrest team consisting of police and IOC members marched towards the compound.
The operation started with a team of around 20 people, but quickly grew to around 150 people. Even then, they were outnumbered.
While about half the team was able to get inside, they were locked in a standoff for hours with security guards – who are still tasked with protecting Yoon, despite having been stripped of his powers – and a military unit responsible for protecting the city of Seoul.
Army and security agents formed a human wall and used vehicles to block the arrest team’s path, local newspaper Yonhap reported.
At one point, the security team engaged in a “confrontation with the IOC at the presidential residence”, a Joint Chiefs of Staff official in Seoul told AFP.
“We have determined that arrest is virtually impossible,” said the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO), which last month investigated Yoon’s short-lived declaration of martial law.
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Anti-corruption investigators leave President Yoon Suk Yeol’s residence
Yoon’s “refusal of legal proceedings” is “deeply regrettable”, the IOC said, adding that next steps will be decided after a review.
Yoon’s supporters, who had camped outside the presidential residence for days, cheered, singing and dancing as the suspension was announced. “We won!” they chanted.
The IOC said concern for the team’s safety on the field was another factor in its decision to call off the attempted arrest.
This development is not unexpected, given Yoon’s disregard throughout the investigation process.
Experts say that as a former chief prosecutor, Yoon is well aware of the legal loopholes available for his defense.
Investigators have until January 6 to arrest him before the current arrest warrant expires.
That means they could try to arrest Yoon again over the weekend, although that could prove logistically difficult as crowds are likely to increase.
They can also seek a new warrant and attempt to arrest him again.
Before the attempt was called off, Yoon’s security team told the news agency it was “in negotiations” with investigators seeking access to the president.
Police opened a criminal case against the head of Yoon’s security department and his deputy, and summoned them for questioning, according to Yonhap.
Yoon’s legal team was also seen entering the residence a little after noon local time.
His lawyer, Yoon Gab-keun, earlier said he would take legal action over the arrest warrant, arguing that investigators lacked the authority to arrest him.
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South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at an event in 2023
Meanwhile, Park Chan-dae, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, criticized Yoon for failing to keep his promise to take legal and political responsibility for his botched attempt at martial law.
“(It was) a complete lie,” Park said, urging the IOC to try to arrest Yoon again today.
The IOC, which has only existed for four years, was created in response to public anger over former President Park Geun-hye and her excesses. She was impeached by Parliament in December 2016 and removed from office three months later.
The extent of the IOC’s jurisdiction has, however, been disputed by other agencies – and its failure to deal with Yoon could be seen as an embarrassing loss.
South Korea has been plunged into political chaos since Yoon’s attempted martial law on December 3.
Days and nights of protest culminated in the opposition-dominated parliament voting to impeach him on December 14, his second attempt to do so.
Prosecutors on Friday also charged army chief Park An-su, who was named martial law commander during the brief declaration, and special forces commander Kwak Jong-geun with insurrection, according to South Media -Korean Yonhap.
They must be tried in prison.
Additional reporting by Jake Kwon in Seoul
