Authorities attempting arrest in ‘standoff with military unit’ – Yonhap
Investigating authorities are trying to arrest president Yoon, but are in a standoff with a military unit, Yonhap reports.
Key events
The Guardian’s Raphael Rashid is outside Yoon’s residence, typing with very, very cold fingers:
“It’s minus 3 degrees Celsius. Tea and snack stations have been set up for the protest group,” he says.
The Guardian’s Raphael Rashid is outside Yoon’s residence.
He reports: Huge police presence around Hangangjin Station, thousands of protesters are gathering here. They say Yoon is innocent and are repeating that “the election was rigged” referring to last April’s general election. While this rhetoric has always been around, and unfounded, it’s gained traction in recent weeks.
Here is a photograph of a Yoon supporter earlier on Friday:
Justin McCurry
Yoon’s defence lawyers say they will take legal action over the “illegal” execution of a warrant for his arrest, the Yonhap news agency is reporting.
Some journalists are expecting Yoon to arrive today – having been arrested – at the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, according to this Reuters photograph of them waiting outside:
Authorities attempting arrest in ‘standoff with military unit’ – Yonhap
Investigating authorities are trying to arrest president Yoon, but are in a standoff with a military unit, Yonhap reports.
Justin McCurry
The outcome of today’s attempted arrest of Yoon Suk Yeol could depend on the response of his presidential security service, which has blocked previous attempts to search his office. The legal and political stakes are higher, now, though.
While Yoon’s lawyers have refused to accept the arrest warrant – calling it “illegal and invalid – Friday’s dramatic developments place the security service in an unprecedented position.
Oh Dong-woon, the head of the Corruption Investigation Office, which is investigating Yoon on suspicion of insurrection, has warned that any attempt to block the execution of the warrant could amount to dereliction of duty and obstruction of official duties.
If Yoon is detained, the anti-corruption agency will have 48 hours to investigate him and either request a warrant for his formal arrest or release him, AFP reports. Yoon’s defense minister, police chief and several top military commanders have already been arrested over their roles in the martial law enactment.
Another image of investigators entering the residence. It is unclear whether they will be successful in arresting Yoon today. If not, they may try again before the warrant runs out next week – it was issued on Tuesday this week and is valid for seven days:
Investigators release statement: ‘The execution of the arrest warrant has begun’
South Korean investigators have released a statement saying they have started executing their arrest warrant.
“The execution of the arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol has begun,” the Corruption Investigation Office said.
A Seoul court issued a warrant for Yoon’s detention on Tuesday after he evaded multiple requests to appear for questioning and blocked searches of his office in Seoul, hindering an investigation into whether his ill-conceived power grab on 3 December amounted to rebellion.
The warrant is valid for one week, and investigators may make another attempt to detain Yoon if they are unable to do so today.
About 20 investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials and police officers were seen entering the gate of Yoon’s residence in Seoul to execute a warrant for his detainment a short while ago, Reuters reports.
This Reuters photograph appears to show members of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials entering the residence:
Investigators have entered the presidential residence – AFP
South Korean investigators entered the presidential residence early Friday seeking to arrest Yoon Suk Yeol, according to AFP reporters outside.
Investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office, which is probing Yoon’s short-lived declaration of martial law, were let through heavy security barricades to enter the residence to attempt to execute their warrant to detain Yoon, the reporters say.
Here is a photograph of members of the Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials arriving in front Yoon’s official residence:
Where things stand
If you’re just joining us, there is where things stand:
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South Korean investigators arrived outside the presidential residence early Friday seeking to arrest Yoon Suk Yeol, with the impeached leader’s die-hard supporters massing outside to protect him.
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Cars carrying investigators probing Yoon’s short-lived declaration of martial law drove up outside his residence in central Seoul, which was surrounded by a heavy police presence.
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Yoon, who has already been suspended from duty by lawmakers, would become the first sitting president in South Korean history to be arrested.
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Dozens of police buses and hundreds of uniformed police lined the street outside the compound in central Seoul.
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Some 2,700 police and 135 police buses have been deployed to the area to prevent clashes, the Yonhap news agency reported, after Yoon’s supporters faced off with anti-Yoon demonstrators in the area Thursday.
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Yoon has been holed up inside the residence since a court approved the warrant to detain him earlier this week, vowing to “fight” authorities seeking to question him over his failed martial law bid.
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The leader issued the bungled martial law declaration on 3 December that led to his impeachment and has left him facing arrest, imprisonment or, at worst, the death penalty.
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It is unclear whether the Presidential Security Service, which still protects Yoon as the country’s sitting head of state, would comply with investigators’ warrants.
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Members of his security team have previously blocked attempted police raids of his presidential residence.
Investigating authorities have begun attempting to arrest Yoon
Yonhap is reporting that investigating authorities have begun attempting to arrest President Yoon. From the live feed outside his compound shows someone talkingloudly into a loudspeaker. Police in high-vis yellow jackets appear to to be getting into lines, and there are several police vehicles parked outside.
Officials from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), which is leading a joint team of investigators that include the police and prosecutors, had arrived at the gates of Yoon’s compound shortly after 7am (22.00 GMT Thursday), according to Reuters witnesses.
Yonhap News Agency reported that about 3,000 police had been mobilised in preparation.
Media reports said the CIO vehicles did not immediately enter the compound.
