The authorities canceled this Friday the operation to arrest South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol for questioning for declaring martial law in December due to the obstruction of his security service at his residence in Seoul.
A spokesperson for the Office for Corruption Investigations of High-ranking Officials (CIO) informed the media that the operation was canceled around 1:30 p.m. local time (4:30 GMT), after 30 agents of this organization and 50 police officers will face for about three or four hours with the presidential security service, which has refused to facilitate access to the interior of the house.
“Regarding the execution of the arrest warrant today, in the face of the persistent impasse, we have determined that it was virtually impossible to execute the warrant and we were concerned for the safety of the people on the ground due to the obstruction in executing it,” explained the spokesperson in statements reported by the Yonhap agency.
The spokesperson explained that other measures will now be studied and added that they “deeply regret the attitude of the suspect, who did not comply with legal procedures.”
After passing a first military checkpoint on the perimeter of the compound, the team of CIO agents and police confronted the presidential security service, which refused to accept as valid the temporary arrest and search warrants obtained on Tuesday after Yoon ignored three subpoenas to testify in relation to his decision to declare martial law on December 3.
The president’s supporters gathered near his residence, around 1,200 according to the police, celebrated the news with cheers.
The police have deployed a large contingent that includes 2,700 officers on the ground in the vicinity of the presidential residence, located in the Hannam neighborhood of Seoul, to avoid altercations.
Yoon’s lawyers have requested a court order to annul the arrest warrant, arguing that only the Prosecutor’s Office can request that type of arrest, and have insisted that it is “illegal” after learning that the authorities were inside the premises.
In case they can arrest him, the joint team made up of the CIO, the police and the Ministry of National Defense has 48 hours to interrogate Yoon and even request an order to extend the detention if they believe it is necessary.
Yoon, who has been prohibited from leaving the country, was dismissed by Parliament on December 14 and is waiting for the Constitutional Court to decide between now and June whether to reinstate him or permanently dismiss him.
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