Watch: President Yoon’s supporters gather outside his residence
The confrontation began well before dawn. By the time we arrived in the dark, an army of police had pushed back angry supporters of suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol, who had camped out overnight hoping to prevent his arrest. Some of those I spoke to were crying, others were lamenting, at what they feared was about to happen.
At dawn, the first officers ran toward the house, but were immediately thwarted – blocked by a wall of soldiers protecting the compound. Reinforcements arrived, but could not help. The doors of Yoon’s house remained tightly closed, with his security team denying police entry.
For several hours, investigators waited, with the crowd outside becoming increasingly agitated, until, after a series of scuffles between police and security officers, they decided their mission was in vain. and give up.
This is completely uncharted territory for South Korea. This is the first time a sitting president has been arrested, so there are no rules to follow – but the current situation is no less astonishing.
When Yoon was impeached three weeks ago, he was reportedly stripped of his power. So the fact that law enforcement officers are attempting to make an arrest – for which they have a legal warrant – only to be blocked by Yoon’s security team raises serious and uncomfortable questions about know who is in charge here.
Investigators said they abandoned efforts to arrest Yoon not only because it seemed impossible, but also because they feared for their safety. They said 200 soldiers and security agents locked arms, forming a human wall to block the entrance to the presidential residence, some carrying weapons.
Getty Images
For weeks, protesters have called for the impeachment and removal of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.
This is undoubtedly part of Yoon’s plan, which relies on a system he designed himself. Before declaring martial law last month – a plan we now know he had concocted months earlier – he surrounded himself with close friends and loyalists, placing them in positions of power.
One of those people is the current head of its security team, who took office in September.
But although alarming, this situation is not entirely surprising. Yoon refused to cooperate with authorities in the investigation, ignoring all requests for questioning.
This is how things got to this point where the investigators felt they had no choice but to bring him in by force. Yoon is under investigation for one of the most serious political crimes: inciting insurrection, punishable by life in prison or death.
Yoon also encouraged his supporters, who have been gathering en masse every day outside his residence since the arrest warrant was issued. He sent them a letter on New Year’s Day thanking them for “working hard” to defend him and the country.
Although most South Koreans were unhappy and angry with Yoon’s decision to impose martial law, a core of his supporters remained loyal. Some even camped overnight, in freezing weather, to try to prevent police from reaching his home.
Many told me this morning that they were willing to die to protect Yoon, and repeated the same baseless conspiracy theories that Yoon himself has put forward – that last year’s elections were rigged and the country had been infiltrated by pro-North Korea forces. They held signs reading “Stop the Steal,” a slogan they chanted repeatedly.
Attention is also now focused on South Korea’s interim president, Choi Sang-mok, and the extent of his powers; whether he could and should fire the president’s security chief and force the team to authorize his arrest. The opposition party says police should arrest anyone who gets in their way.
Although investigators have until January 6 to attempt to make a new arrest – when the arrest warrant expires – it is unlikely they will go there again without changing strategy or negotiating first with the security team. They will want to avoid a repeat of today’s failure.
They also have to deal with the crowds of Yoon’s supporters, who now feel victorious and empowered. They believe that they are largely responsible for the fall of the authorities. “We won, we did it,” they sang all afternoon.
As their confidence increases, so do their numbers, especially as the weekend approaches.
