South Korea’s anti-corruption agency has requested police assistance in detaining impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol after investigators failed to arrest him during a standoff with the presidential security service last week.
Both the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO) and the police confirmed the request on Monday, just hours before the one-week detention warrant for Yoon was set to expire at midnight (1500 GMT) on Monday.
According to police officials, the CIO is likely to seek a new court warrant to extend the deadline for Yoon’s detention. The police are currently reviewing the agency’s request internally. It remains uncertain whether the anti-corruption agency will make another attempt to detain Yoon before the midnight deadline.
Yoon became the first incumbent South Korean president to face arrest following his failed attempt to declare martial law on December 3. The Seoul Western District Court issued a warrant last Tuesday to detain Yoon and a separate warrant to search his residence. However, executing those warrants has proven challenging as long as Yoon remains in his official residence.
Park Chong-jun, the chief of security for the impeached president, stated on Sunday that he could not cooperate with efforts to arrest Yoon, citing ongoing legal debates surrounding the arrest warrant. Park defended the presidential security service, emphasizing its 60-year role in providing protection to all South Korean presidents, regardless of their political affiliation. He also urged against criticism that the service had been reduced to a “private army.”
The situation has raised concerns about potential constitutional crises and the rule of law in South Korea. Legal experts suggest that the standoff between the CIO and the presidential security service highlights the complexities involved in arresting a sitting president, even one who has been impeached.
