Investigators attempt to arrest South Korean president

South Korean investigators are attempting to detain impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol over a brief martial law order he implemented last month. Meanwhile, hundreds of supporters have gathered near his Seoul residence, vowing to protect him. Around 20 investigators and police from the Senior Officials Corruption Investigation Office were seen entering the gates of Yoon's Seoul residence to execute the detention order.

It is unclear whether the president will cooperate with authorities attempting to detain him. In a New Year's address to conservative supporters gathered outside his residence, Yoon said he would "fight to the end" against "anti-state forces." His lawyers have called the detention order "invalid" and "illegal." The anti-corruption agency has not immediately confirmed whether investigators successfully entered Yoon's residential building.

South Korea's YTN television reported that investigators and police clashed with the president's security forces. Earlier, investigators from the anti-corruption agency were seen loading boxes into several cars before leaving their office building in Gwacheon City in the early morning. Television footage later showed some of those vehicles weaving through lines of police cars tightly packed and blocking streets near Yoon's residence.

A Seoul court issued the detention order for Yoon on Tuesday after he repeatedly evaded requests for questioning and blocked searches of his Seoul offices, obstructing an investigation into whether his ill-advised power grab on December 3 constituted a rebellion. The detention order is valid for one week, and investigators may try again if they fail to detain Yoon today. Thousands of police have gathered at Yoon's residence and formed cordons around growing crowds of Yoon's supporters, who waved South Korean flags and chanted slogans in his support. There have been no reports of clashes so far.

If Yoon is detained, the anti-corruption agency will have 48 hours to investigate him and either seek a formal arrest warrant or release him. Yoon's defense minister, police chief, and several senior military commanders have already been arrested for their roles in the martial law order's implementation. Yoon's lawyers argue that the court's detention order is invalid, claiming the anti-corruption agency lacks the legal authority to investigate rebellion allegations. They also accuse the court of circumventing a law that stipulates that sites that may be related to military secrets cannot be seized or searched without the consent of the person in charge.

One of Yoon’s lawyers, Yoon Kap-geun, described investigators’ efforts to detain the president as illegal and said they plan to take unspecified legal steps against the anti-corruption agency. The anti-corruption agency's chief prosecutor, Oh Dong-un, said police forces could be deployed if the president's security detail resists the detention. But Yoon's legal team warned in a statement on Thursday that any attempt by the anti-corruption agency to use police forces to detain him would be beyond its legal authority. The lawyers stated that if police attempt to detain Yoon, they could be arrested by "the president's security detail or any citizen." They did not elaborate further on this claim.

South Korean law allows anyone to make an arrest to prevent a crime in progress, and critics accuse Yoon of inciting his supporters to thwart attempts to detain him. President’s lawyer, Yoon Kap-geun, filed a challenge with the Seoul Western District Court on Thursday to block the detention order against Yoon and related search warrants for his residence. The lawyer argued that both warrants violate criminal law and the constitution. The liberal opposition Democratic Party pushed for a legislative vote to impeach Yoon on December 14 over his implementation of martial law, and the party accuses the president of trying to mobilize his supporters to prevent his detention and has called for law enforcement to immediately execute the arrest warrant.

Despite sub-freezing temperatures, thousands of Yoon’s supporters rallied for hours near his residence on Thursday under heavy police deployment, waving South Korean and US flags while chanting “Cancel the impeachment!” and “We will protect President Yoon!” Police dispersed some protesters who lay down in the road leading to the entrance of Yoon's residence, but there were no reports of major clashes. Some experts believe that the anti-corruption agency, which is conducting a joint investigation with police and military authorities, will not risk a confrontation with the president's security detail, which has stated it will provide security for Yoon within the law. If they are unable to execute the detention order by the January 6 deadline, the agency may again summon Yoon for questioning.

Yoon's presidential powers were suspended after the National Assembly voted to impeach him on December 14 over his implementation of martial law, which lasted only a few hours but triggered weeks of political turmoil, disrupted high-level diplomacy, and rattled financial markets. Yoon’s fate now rests with the Constitutional Court, which has begun deliberating whether to uphold the impeachment and formally remove Yoon from office, or reinstate him. At least six of the nine judges on the Constitutional Court must vote in favor to formally end Yoon’s presidency. The National Assembly also voted to impeach Prime Minister Han Duck-soo last week, who became acting president after Yoon’s powers were suspended, over his reluctance to fill three vacancies on the Constitutional Court before it reviews Yoon’s case.

Facing mounting pressure, the new acting president, Deputy Prime Minister Choe Sang-mok, appointed two new judges on Tuesday, potentially increasing the likelihood that the court will uphold Yoon’s impeachment. Yoon’s martial law order lasted only six hours before being rescinded by a 190-0 vote in the National Assembly, although heavily armed soldiers attempted to prevent them from voting. Yoon defended his martial law order as a necessary act of governance, describing it as a temporary warning to the Democratic Party, which he called “anti-state” forces for using their legislative majority to obstruct his agenda.