A deposed president holed up in his residence and resisting arrest, hundreds of his supporters gathered in front, a tense face-to-face between security services: South Korea experienced a new episode of incredible chaos on Friday.
South Korean investigators attempted 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 were prevented from doing so by twice as many presidential bodyguards. numerous than them.
For nearly six hours, prosecutors and agents of the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO), which centralizes the investigation for “rebellion” opened against Mr. Yoon, remained inside the presidential residence, on the heights of the chic Hannam district. They ended up leaving around 1:30 p.m. (04:30 GMT), empty-handed.
Around 20 IOC investigators assisted by 80 police officers took part in the operation, but came up against some 200 soldiers and agents of the presidential security service, who formed a human wall holding each other's arms to prevent them from passing through, explained an IOC official.
The president's security forces had previously blocked the access route using a dozen minibuses and other vehicles, but investigators still managed to enter the property “using a circuitous path at hillside,” this official said during a press briefing.
Physical altercations
“There were minor and major physical altercations” between the two camps, he continued, specifying that no member of his team had seen Yoon Suk Yeol during the raid.
“Forcing passage was not realistically possible, as the number of people gathered there was significantly greater than that of our team,” he added. “Due to serious fears for security, enforcement was suspended“.
The presidential security service had already prevented several searches by investigators at Mr. Yoon's home in recent days.
The IOC has until January 6 to execute the arrest warrant for Yoon Suk Yeol, issued by a Seoul court on Tuesday. Mr. Yoon's lawyers argued that the police had no right to intervene in the presidential residence, which was classified as “secret defense installation“.
“We express our deep regret regarding the illegal and invalid execution of the arrest and search warrants” said one of the lawyers, Yoon Kab-keun.
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 the South Korea.
Lawyers found the resistance of his bodyguards worrying. “The president is equal to all before the law. The fact that he did not comply with a lawfully issued court order is truly lamentable.“, said Lee Jong-soo, professor of law at Yonsei University.
Evangelists and YouTubers
Hundreds of Mr. Yoon's supporters, including well-known far-right YouTubers and evangelical Christian preachers, have gathered near the presidential residence since Thursday evening.
“Yoon Suk Yeol! Yoon Suk Yeol!“, they chanted while waving red light sticks, under the surveillance of the police.
“We are gathered here today, ready to risk our lives” Lee Hye-sook, 57, told AFP, accusing the opposition of wanting “transform our country into a socialist state similar to North Korea“.
Yoon Suk Yeol stunned South Korea on the night of December 3 to 4 by imposing martial law and sending the army to Parliament to try to muzzle him, an episode that reminded the country of the dark hours of the military dictatorship .
He was forced to backtrack hours later after MPs managed to enter parliament and pass a motion demanding the lifting of martial law while thousands of protesters gathered outside.
Complete wreck
The 64-year-old former star prosecutor has shown no regrets since his dismissal by Parliament on December 14, even vowing in a letter to his supporters to “fight until the end”.
“It's been a month since the country became a complete wreck due to the illegal declaration of martial law on December 3, but Mr. Yoon's message to his supporters shows that he has not the slightest sense of remorse or of responsibility“, said Friday in an editorial in the major daily Dong-A Ilbo.
“President Yoon's behavior, relying on his most extremist supporters, is beyond embarrassing. It is reaching deplorable levels,” adds the newspaper. North Korea, until now stingy with comments on the political crisis in its enemy to the South, described Friday through its official media a situation of “social and policy” in Seoul.
South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol impeachment president
