South Korean investigators enter President Yoon’s home in second arrest attempt | Politics news
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Investigators used stairs to ascend President Yoon Suk-yeol’s compound after he failed to appear at his impeachment trial.
South Korean investigators used ladders to climb the residential compound of ousted President Yoon Suk-yul, in their second attempt to arrest him for briefly imposing martial law, according to reports.
South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said dozens of police officials entered the Yon Complex in central Seoul as of 7:30 a.m. local time (22:30 GMT) on Wednesday.
Yonhap said the presidential security service, which surrounded the entrance using vehicles, initially denied access to investigators, as well as a group of lawmakers from the ruling conservative People Power Party and Yoon’s lawyers.
Reuters reported that one of Yoon’s advisors later said that the president would leave for questioning when authorities leave his residence.
Acting President Choi Sang-mok called for calm in a statement on Wednesday, urging the need to avoid physical contact between state agencies.
He added: “I will hold those responsible firmly if unfortunate events occur.”
The confrontation at Yoon’s presidential residence comes hours after he failed to appear at the first hearing in his impeachment trial. Efforts to remove him from office continue nearly six weeks after martial law was imposed, a move quickly reversed by the National Assembly.
Patrick Phok, Al Jazeera’s correspondent from Seoul, said that an estimated 1,000 police officers participated in the operation that took place at the president’s residence.
“The presidential security team has once again warned that in its view this arrest warrant has no legal basis, and said they will implement normal security protocols,” Phuc said. He added, “This likely means that they will do whatever it takes to protect the president, who is still holed up inside his official residence at the present time.”
Thousands of people gathered outside Yoon’s home, including those chanting messages of support for the ousted president.
This is investigators’ second attempt to arrest Yoon after a previous failed attempt ended after an hours-long confrontation with his security team inside the presidential complex at the beginning of January.
Since then, Yoon has remained inside his hillside villa in Seoul for weeks in an attempt to avoid arrest. He also failed to show up for his impeachment trial Tuesday morning, forcing the hearings to be postponed minutes after they began.
The president’s lawyers said that he will not attend the impeachment hearing, adding that he will be prevented from expressing his position freely due to the authorities’ continued attempts to arrest him.
The trial is being held after South Korea’s National Assembly voted on December 14 to impeach Yoon, after he imposed martial law in a surprise speech late on the night of December 3, 2024.
