Yoon Suk Yeol: the reasons for the failure of the attempt to arrest the South Korean president

After a dramatic six-hour standoff with security services, South Korean police ended an attempt to arrest ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol.

The 150 police officers involved found themselves outnumbered, first facing the large number of Yoon supporters who had gathered outside his residence before sunrise, then facing a human wall of security officers at the interior of the property.

Police were attempting to execute an arrest warrant issued earlier this week after Mr. Yoon ignored three summons for questioning.

The politician is currently under investigation for abuse of power and inciting insurrection when he attempted to impose martial law in early December.

Dozens of police vans lined the street outside Yoon's residence in central Seoul early Friday morning before the arrest team – made up of police officers and members of the Investigation Bureau on Corruption (CIO) – began moving towards the building around 8 a.m. local time (11 p.m. GMT).

The operation began with a team of 20 people, which quickly expanded to around 150 people. Even then, they were outnumbered.

While about half the team was able to get inside, they were stuck for hours in a standoff with presidential security agents – who are still tasked with protecting Mr. Yoon, although he was stripped of his powers – and a military unit responsible for protecting the city of Seoul.

At one point, Mr. Yoon's security team engaged in a “confrontation” with investigators, an official at Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff told the AFP news agency.

Had they succeeded, Mr. Yoon would have become the first sitting president to be arrested in South Korean history.

Mr Yoon's refusal to submit to legal process is “deeply regrettable”, said the IOC, which investigated Mr Yoon's short-lived declaration of martial law last month.

He added that he planned to ask the sitting president – who is in charge of Yoon's security detail – to intervene on their behalf.

“Given the situation at the site, as long as the security service continues to stand guard, arrest is virtually impossible,” the organization said.

Mr. Yoon's supporters, who have camped for days in front of the presidential residence, applauded, singing and dancing at the announcement of the suspension. “They chanted: 'We won!' Some carried “Stop the Steal” signs, an echo of the call made by supporters of US President Donald Trump after his defeat in the 2020 election.

The presidential security service said it would hold the DPI and police responsible for the intrusion, adding that the team injured some of its staff.

This development is not unexpected, given the defiance Yoon showed throughout the investigation process.

Experts say that as a former attorney general, Mr. Yoon is well aware of the legal loopholes available to him in his defense.

Investigators have until Jan. 6 to arrest him before the current warrant expires.

This means they can attempt to arrest Yoon again over the weekend, although this could prove logistically difficult as crowds are likely to swell.

They can also request a new warrant and try to arrest him again.

Before the attempt was called off, Mr. Yoon's security team told the news agency that it was “in negotiations” with investigators seeking contact with the president.

According to Yonhap, police opened a criminal investigation against the head of Yoon's security department and his deputy, and summoned them for questioning.

Mr. Yoon's legal team was also seen entering the residence a little after noon local time.

His lawyer, Yoon Gab-keun, said earlier that he would take legal action over the arrest warrant, arguing that investigators did not have the authority to detain him.

Meanwhile, Park Chan-dae, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, criticized Yoon for failing to keep his promise to take legal and political responsibility for his failed attempt to establish of martial law.

“It was a complete lie,” Park said, urging the IOC to try to arrest Yoon again today.

The IOC, which has only been operating for four years, was created in response to public anger over former President Park Geun-hye and her excesses. She was impeached by Parliament in December 2016 and removed from office three months later.

The scope of the DPI's authority, however, has been contested by other agencies, and its failure to deal with Yoon could be seen as an embarrassing loss.

South Korea has been plunged into political chaos since martial law was attempted on Dec. 3, with deep divisions in parliament between Mr. Yoon's loyalists and those seeking to overthrow him.

Days and nights of protests culminated in the opposition-dominated parliament voting to impeach Mr Yoon on December 14. This was the second impeachment attempt after the majority of ruling party members boycotted the first vote.

Two weeks later, parliament voted to impeach his replacement, interim President Han Duck-soo – the first time an interim president had been impeached since South Korea became a democracy.

Han was supposed to lead the country out of political turmoil, but opposition lawmakers argued he was refusing to accede to demands to complete Yoon's impeachment proceedings.

Prosecutors on Friday also charged army chief Park An-su, who was named martial law commander during the brief declaration, and special forces commander Kwak Jong-geun with insurrection, according to the media outlet. Yonhap, based in Seoul.

They must be tried in prison.

Additional reporting by Jake Kwon in Seoul