Source: Politics<\/p>\n
SEOUL, South Korea \u2014 South Korean investigators left the official residence of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol after a near-six-hour standoff during which he defied their attempt to detain him. It\u2019s the latest confrontation in a political crisis that has paralyzed South Korean politics and seen two heads of state impeached in under a month.<\/p>\n
The country\u2019s anti-corruption agency said it withdrew its investigators after the presidential security service blocked them from entering Yoon\u2019s residence for hours due to concerns about their safety. The agency expressed \u201cserious regret about the attitude of the suspect, who did not respond to a process by law.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yoon, a former prosecutor, has defied investigators\u2019 attempts to question<\/a> him for weeks. The last time he is known to have left the residence was on Dec. 12, when he went to the nearby presidential office to make a televised statement to the nation, making a defiant statement that he will fight efforts to oust him.<\/p>\n Investigators from the country\u2019s anti-corruption agency are weighing charges of rebellion after Yoon, apparently frustrated that his policies were blocked by an opposition-dominated parliament, declared martial law<\/a> on Dec. 3 and dispatched troops to surround the National Assembly.<\/p>\n Parliament overturned the declaration within hours in an unanimous vote and impeached Yoon on Dec. 14, accusing him of rebellion, while South Korean anti-corruption authorities and public prosecutors opened separate investigations into the events.<\/p>\n A Seoul court issued a warrant for Yoon\u2019s detention on Tuesday, but enforcing it is complicated as long as he remains in his official residence.<\/p>\n Yoon\u2019s lawyers, who filed a challenge to the warrant on Thursday, say it cannot be enforced at his residence due to a law that protects locations potentially linked to military secrets from search without the consent of the person in charge.<\/p>\n The office said it will discuss further actions, but did not immediately say whether it would make another attempt to detain Yoon. The warrant for his detention is valid for one week.<\/p>\n Yoon\u2019s lawyers have also argued that the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, which is leading a joint investigation with police and military investigators, lacks the authority to investigate rebellion charges. They said that police officers don\u2019t have the legal authority to assist in detaining Yoon, and could face arrest by either the \u201cpresidential security service or any citizens.\u201d They didn\u2019t elaborate further on the claim.<\/p>\n If investigators manage to detain Yoon, they will likely ask a court for permission to make a formal arrest. Otherwise, he will be released after 48 hours.<\/p>\n Kwon Young-se, who heads the emergency leadership committee of Yoon\u2019s conservative People Power Party, called the agency\u2019s effort to detain Yoon \u201chighly unfair and exceedingly improper,\u201d saying that there is no risk of Yoon attempting to flee or to destroy evidence.<\/p>\n Thousands of police officers gathered at Yoon\u2019s residence on Friday, forming a perimeter around a growing group of pro-Yoon protesters who braved freezing temperatures for hours, waving South Korean and American flags while chanting slogans vowing to protect him. There were no immediate reports of major clashes outside the residence.<\/p>\n Dozens of investigators and police officers were seen entering the gate of the residence in Seoul to execute a warrant for Yoon\u2019s detention, but the dramatic scene quickly developed into a standoff. Two of Yoon\u2019s lawyers, Yoon Kap-keun and Kim Hong-il, were seen entering the gate of the presidential residence around noon. It wasn\u2019t immediately clear what the lawyers discussed with the president.<\/p>\n Seok Dong-hyeon, another lawyer on Yoon\u2019s legal team, said the agency\u2019s efforts to detain Yoon were \u201creckless\u201d and showed an \u201coutrageous discard for law.\u201d<\/p>\n South Korea\u2019s Defense Ministry confirmed that the investigators and police officers got past a military unit guarding the residence\u2019s grounds before arriving at the building. The presidential security service, which controls the residence itself, refused to comment. South Korea\u2019s YTN television reported scuffles as investigators and police confronted the presidential security forces.<\/p>\n As the standoff progressed, the liberal opposition Democratic Party called on the country\u2019s acting leader, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, to order the presidential security service to stand down. Choi didn\u2019t immediately comment on the situation.<\/p>\n \u201cDo not drag the upright staff of the presidential security service and other public officials into the depths of crime,\u201d said Jo Seung-lae, a Democratic lawmaker. Choi must \u201cremember that swiftly addressing the rebellion and preventing further chaos is your responsibility,\u201d Jo said.<\/p>\n Yoon\u2019s defense minister, police chief and several top military commanders have already been arrested over their roles in the period of martial law.<\/p>\n Yoon\u2019s presidential powers have been suspended since the National Assembly voted to impeach him on Dec. 14. Yoon\u2019s fate now lies with the Constitutional Court, which has begun deliberations on whether to uphold the impeachment and formally remove Yoon from office or reinstate him. At least six justices on the nine-member Constitutional Court must vote in favor to remove him from office.<\/p>\n The National Assembly voted last week to impeach Prime Minister Han Duck-soo<\/a>, who became acting president after Yoon\u2019s powers were suspended, over his reluctance to fill three Constitutional Court vacancies<\/a> ahead of the court\u2019s review of Yoon\u2019s case.<\/p>\n Facing growing pressure, the new acting president, Choi, appointed two new justices on Tuesday, which could increase the chances of the court upholding Yoon\u2019s impeachment.<\/p>\n