South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol remains defiant at his newly fortified home as investigators try to extend their arrest warrant. short term martial law.
The current warrant, which was scheduled to expire at midnight local time (15:00 GMT), was issued after Yun ignored multiple summons to appear for questioning on charges of insurrection and abuse of power.
Anti-corruption investigators attempted to make the arrest on Friday, but called off the arrest after a six-hour standoff with Blue House security guards at Yoon’s home.
Afterwards, Yun’s security team installed barbed wire and barricaded the grounds with buses.
Investigators told the BBC they had requested the warrant be executed in the hope it would give police efforts greater significance.
However, the police refused, saying that it was a legally controversial matter and that enforcement should be left to anti-corruption investigators.
Public anger has soared in recent weeks, with thousands of protesters braving heavy snow over the weekend for and against Yoon.
South Korea has been in crisis for the past month since Prosecutor General Yoon declared martial law citing threats from North Korea and “anti-state forces.” The fallout continues as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits Seoul to stabilize relations between the two countries ahead of President Donald Trump’s election.
‘Human wall’
Yoon’s lawyers have argued that his arrest warrant is “illegal” because the anti-corruption investigators leading the criminal case against their client do not have the authority to supervise a case as serious as an insurrection.
The Presidential Security Service (PSS) cited the fact that he remained the incumbent president until the Constitutional Court’s impeachment trial as the reason for preventing the arrest of President Yoon.
Security Chief Park Jong-joon said on this day, “For the National Security Agency, whose top priority is the absolute safety of the President, to comply with the execution of the arrest warrant while the legal dispute continues is the same as abandoning one’s duties.”
Mr. Park denied accusations that his team was acting as Mr. Yoon’s “militia.”
A lawyer for Yoon, who sued investigators in connection with Monday’s arrest attempt, said Yoon was “mostly detained at home.”
They also applied for an injunction against the warrant, but the court rejected it and announced that they are considering an appeal.
Meanwhile, Acting President Choi Sang-mok resisted calls from the opposition party to fire key security officials who were interfering with arrests.
The BBC understands that opposition lawmakers have called on investigators to re-arrest Mr Yoon “but with more decisiveness and sufficient means”.
Investigators may also apply for a new detention warrant, which must be approved by a judge. The detention period for Mr. Yoon is up to 20 days, but the arrest warrant can only detain him for 48 hours.
However, unless the situation or approach changes, it is unlikely that investigators or police will be able to make an arrest.
As we saw last Friday, they may be blocked again by the Blue House security office, which formed a ‘human wall’ to protect Rep. Yoon. He vowed he would “fight to the end”, dividing public opinion and provoking supporters who have been protesting outside his home for days.
A tense confrontation We have raised an urgent question Describes the robustness and efficiency of Korea’s political and legal systems.
diplomatic backlash
This situation is also having consequences beyond domestic politics.
Until last month, the Biden administration was pleased and praised Chairman Yoon’s willingness to cooperate with the United States to deal with security threats posed by North Korea and China. The United States made great efforts to help Korea restore its strained relationship with Japan, allowing the three countries to resolve this problem together.
Mr. Blinken’s visit to Seoul therefore marked a difficult time for both allies, as he met with the acting president and South Korea’s foreign minister.
Chairman Yoon did not inform the United States of his plan to declare martial law. This means that the United States had no opportunity to dissuade him and was unprepared for the chaos that would follow.
Blinken may not want to be dragged into the current political climate. Instead, he will want to focus on maintaining trilateral cooperation between Korea, the United States, and Japan even after President Biden’s term.
At a joint news conference on Monday, Blinken said the United States has “full confidence” in South Korea’s institutions and reaffirmed “the United States government’s unwavering support for the tireless efforts of the Korean people to maintain these institutions.” I did it.
“Over the past 40 years, South Korea has written one of the most powerful and inspiring stories of democracy in the world,” Blinken said.
“Just as American democracy has faced challenges throughout our history, South Korea’s democracy has been put to the test in recent weeks. But you are responding by demonstrating democratic resilience.”
However, it is difficult to distinguish between the domestic situation and the geopolitical situation. South Korea may be months away from electing a new president, and its leader may want to break with Yoon’s foreign policy.
Trump, who will enter the White House in 15 days, also plans to pursue his own agenda.
Additional coverage by Lee Ho-soo and Choi I-hyeon in Seoul
