WorthyNews: Standoff Over Arrest Warrant For South Korea’s President (Worthy News In-Depth)

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By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

SEOUL (Worthy News) – South Korea plunged into its worst political crisis in years on Friday as police and anti-corruption investigators attempted to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Footage confirmed by Worthy News showed an ongoing standoff unfolding at Yoon’s residence in Soul, the capital, after a Seoul court issued an arrest warrant for his detention on Tuesday.

The Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) said early Friday that the presidential security team blocked some 80 police and investigators who entered the compound to detain him.

Yoon’s lawyers challenged a warrant on Thursday, saying it cannot be enforced at his residence. They cited a law that protects locations potentially linked to military secrets from search without the consent of the person in charge.

According to sources familiar with the case, the order to arrest him is valid for one week.

Yoon’s defense team also argued that the CIO, leading a joint investigation with police and military investigators, “lacks the authority to investigate rebellion charges.”

They said police officers assisting in detaining Yoon could even be arrested by the “presidential security service or any citizens.”

MULTIPLE INVESTIGATIONS

Yoon, 64, is wanted for questioning in multiple investigations, including accusations of leading an insurrection – a crime punishable by life imprisonment or even the death penalty.

The charges are linked in part to his decision to declare martial law in a surprise late-night address on December 3, claiming opposition lawmakers had “paralyzed state affairs.”

He added that the move was necessary to “safeguard a liberal South Korea” from the threats posed by “anti-state elements.”

Yet legislators of the country’s parliament, the National Assembly, including some members from Yoon’s party, voted to reverse his declaration about six hours later.

Analysts said Yoon’s order faced fierce backlash from protesters and lawmakers across the political spectrum as it revived painful memories of South Korea’s authoritarian past.

Following the reversal of his decision to declare martial law, Yoon was impeached by the National Assembly on December 14, 2024.

If investigators manage to detain Yoon, they will likely ask a court to allow “a formal arrest,” according to experts, adding that without such a request, he will be released after 48 hours.

LONG STANDOFF

The hours-long standoff on Friday added to political turmoil in the country: Prime Minister Han Duck-soo served briefly as acting president until his impeachment on December 27, 2024. Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok assumed the role of acting president, but questions remained Friday about who will eventually control the crisis-ridden nation.

State media in autocratically-ruled neighboring North Korea were quick to say the South is in “chaos” and paralyzed politically over the attempt to arrest impeached President Yoon.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) gave a rare commentary about the South’s political turmoil in recent weeks and included no quoted officials.

Observers noted that it was also speedier than before, as Pyongyang did not comment on Yoon’s martial law declaration on 3 December until a week after it failed.

“In puppet South Korea, an unprecedented impeachment took place following the December 3 martial law incident,” KCNA wrote. “A detention warrant was issued for the president, paralyzing state affairs and further deepening social and political chaos.”

North Korean state media often refers to the South’s leaders and institutions as being a “puppet” of its key security ally, the United States. “Foreign media have criticized South Korea as being thrown deeper into a political storm,” KCNA added.

The commentary was published in North Korea’s Rodong Sinmun newspaper, which, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap, was an apparent attempt to highlight the North Korean government’s “stability by comparison.”

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