South Korean investigators tried to arrest impeached President Yoon Seok-yul early Friday, with hundreds of his supporters gathering outside his residence in Seoul to block the move. The action comes amid heightened tensions and a heavy police presence, as Yoon’s tough stance against the allegations draws public and political attention.
gave Corruption Investigation Office High-ranking officials dispatched investigators to execute warrants after Yoon evaded multiple subpoenas for questioning and obstructed searches of his office. The investigation centers on whether Yun’s brief declaration of martial law on December 3 constituted a coup. If detained, Yoon would be the first South Korean president in history to face arrest.
Television footage showed vehicles of investigators navigating police barricades near Yun’s residence, while officers loaded boxes into vehicles at his Gwacheon headquarters earlier in the day. A Seoul court issued an arrest warrant, giving authorities 48 hours to question Yoon before deciding whether to request formal arrest or release him. go
Yoon vowed to resist the detention in a New Year’s message that rallied close to conservative supporters. He said that I will fight till the end against the anti-state forces.
His legal team challenged the court’s ruling, saying the anti-corruption agency lacked jurisdiction over the sedition charges and cited laws protecting sites linked to military secrets from warrantless searches. He warned against cooperating with the police, stating that they could face arrest by “the Presidential Security Service or any citizen” if they tried to detain him.
Chief anti-corruption prosecutor Oh Dong-won suggested police could be deployed if Yoon’s security detail was resisted, though there were no immediate reports of clashes. Thousands of officers stood outside Yun’s residence as tensions rose.
The investigation has already arrested Yun’s defense minister, police chief, and top military commanders for their roles in the martial law incident.