South Korean Investigators Fail to Arrest Impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol Amid Tensions

On Friday, a dedicated group of South Korean investigators from the anti-corruption unit left the presidential residence without successfully arresting the impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) reported that the head of the bodyguard, Park Jong-joon, has been booked due to his alleged obstruction of the arrest warrant execution.

Earlier, the investigators were met with resistance when they confronted soldiers after entering the residence's main gate. Despite their efforts, the security chief of South Korea’s presidential service refused to allow investigators access to the residence, as mandated by a Seoul court's warrant issued earlier that week.

Amidst these events, over 1,000 supporters of President Yoon gathered outside the residence, leading police to deploy approximately 2,700 officers to maintain order and prevent potential clashes. The arrest warrant stems from allegations that Yoon masterminded the brief martial law declaration on December 3 and abused his presidential authority. Notably, he is now the first sitting South Korean president to face arrest.

The CIO had sought the warrant after Yoon failed to comply with three summonses for questioning. In response to the situation, Yoon's legal team has contested the validity of the detention warrant, declaring it illegal and has filed objections against both the arrest and search warrants.