South Korean investigators fail to arrest Yoon Suk-yeol after lengthy stand-off

The anti-corruption agency abandoned the operation to arrest the impeached leader after facing resistance from his security team

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Investigators and police officers leave South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s residence in Seoul on Friday. Photo: AFP

Published: 6:08am, 3 Jan 2025Updated: 6:31pm, 3 Jan 2025

South Korean investigators failed to arrest impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol on Friday following an hours-long stand-off with his security team.

The Corruption Investigation Office (CIO), which is probing Yoon’s short-lived declaration of martial law, aborted the attempt to execute an arrest warrant for him after the Presidential Security Service (PSS) blocked its officers from entering his residence in Seoul.

“We determined that it was virtually impossible to execute the arrest warrant due to the ongoing confrontation and stopped the execution,” the CIO said in a statement.

The agency called off the operation in the afternoon due to concerns over the safety of its personnel and expressed “deep regret” at the “suspect” resisting the legal process to carry out the court-issued warrants to arrest the suspended leader.

The CIO said it will review the situation to decide on its future actions.

The warrant, valid until Monday, charges Yoon with insurrection and abuse of power related to his December 3 imposition of martial law.

Yoon ignored three summonses to appear for questioning at the CIO, forcing it to seek court warrants to search the presidential residence and detain him.