South Korea: confrontation during attempted arrest of ousted President Yoon

This article was automatically translated from HIBAPRESS, the Arabic version:

Hibapress / Radio-Canada

South Korean investigators attempt to arrest deposed President Yoon Suk-yeol at his Seoul residence on Friday for his failed attempt to impose martial law on Dec. 3, but are confronted by the presidential security detail who, according to media reports, prevents them from achieving their goals.

Execution of arrest warrant against President Yoon Suk-yeol beginsannounced the Office of Investigation into Corruption of Senior Personalities (CIO), which centralizes the investigation for rebellion against him. But according to the Yonhap news agency, agents of the CIO have been blocked by a military unit inside.

Journalists from Agence France-Presse (AFP) had previously seen one of the prosecutors of the CIO accompanied by several other people crossed the imposing security barrier set up in front of the presidential residence around 8 a.m. local time.

According to the South Korean agency Yonhap, investigators were first blocked by a military unit inside but managed to cross the barrier, and then confront the security service presidential office, which had already prevented several searches at Mr. Yoon’s home in recent days, citing a law on state secrets.

The execution of the arrest warrant is illegal and invalidsaid the leader’s lawyer, Yoon Kap-keun, announcing a new legal action to block this execution, in addition to those he has already filed to challenge the validity of the mandate itself.

The head of CIOMr. Oh Dong-woon warned that anyone who tried to prevent Mr. Yoon’s arrest could face prosecution themselves.

An arrest of Yoon Suk-yeol, who officially remains the head of state and is only suspended pending confirmation by the Constitutional Court of his dismissal by mid-June, would be unprecedented in the history of South Korea.