South Korean President barricades residence amid renewed arrest warrant
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (Photo: Getty Images)
The suspended President of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, has barricaded himself in his residence. Law enforcement promises to execute a renewed arrest warrant, Reuters reports.
As noted, the Presidential Security Service (PSS) of South Korea reinforced Yoon Suk Yeol's compound this week with barbed wire and barricades. Security used buses to block access to the residence, a villa on a hillside in an elite district known as the Korean Beverly Hills.
On Wednesday, January 8, one of Yoon Suk Yeol's lawyers stated that the president could not agree to the execution of the arrest warrant, as it had been issued by a court lacking proper jurisdiction. Furthermore, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) does not have the authority to investigate a sitting leader.
Meanwhile, CIO Chief Oh Dong-woon, who is leading the investigation, promised to arrest the suspended president following the issuance of a renewed warrant.
"We'll do our best to accomplish our goal by thoroughly preparing this time with great determination that the second warrant execution will be the last," he told a parliamentary committee.
Various arrest scenarios reported by local media include mobilizing special tactical police units and heavy equipment to breach the barricades, after which over 2,000 police officers would remove the presidential security guards. This process could take up to three days to exhaust the president's security agents.
The case against the South Korean President
As a reminder, in early December 2024, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in the country. The move was not linked to a military threat but was prompted by internal circumstances.
The martial law lasted only a few hours but marked the beginning of a political crisis in South Korea. Law enforcement launched an investigation against the president. Yoon Suk Yeol was suspended from office, and the country’s Constitutional Court began considering his impeachment.
On January 1, a South Korean court issued an arrest warrant for Yoon Suk Yeol, but law enforcement failed to detain him due to resistance from the presidential security. The court has since reissued the arrest warrant.
