South Korea's Impeached President Defies Warrant After Hourslong Standoff | rssama.com

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean investigators near nan president’s charismatic residence aft a astir six-hour standoff during which he defied their effort to detain him successful nan latest confrontation of a governmental situation that has paralyzed South Korean authorities and seen 2 heads of authorities impeached successful nether a month.

The country’s anti-corruption agency said it withdrew its investigators aft nan statesmanlike information work blocked them from entering President Yoon Suk Yeol’s residence for hours owed to concerns astir their safety. The agency expressed “serious regret astir nan cognition of nan suspect, who did not respond to a process by law.”

Yoon, a erstwhile prosecutor, has defied investigators’ attempts to question him for weeks. The past clip he is known to person near nan residence was connected Dec. 12, erstwhile he went to nan adjacent statesmanlike agency to make a televised connection to nan nation, making a defiant connection that he will conflict efforts to oust him.

Investigators from nan country’s anti-corruption agency are weighing charges of rebellion aft Yoon, apparently disappointment that his policies were blocked by an opposition-dominated parliament, declared martial law connected Dec. 3 and dispatched troops to situation nan National Assembly.

Parliament overturned nan declaration wrong hours successful an unanimous ballot and impeached Yoon connected Dec. 14, accusing him of rebellion, while South Korean anti-corruption authorities and nationalist prosecutors opened abstracted investigations into nan events.

A Seoul tribunal issued a warrant for Yoon’s detention connected Tuesday, but enforcing it is analyzable arsenic agelong arsenic he remains successful his charismatic residence.

Yoon’s lawyers, who revenge a situation to nan warrant connected Thursday, opportunity it cannot beryllium enforced astatine his residence owed to a rule that protects locations perchance linked to subject secrets from hunt without nan consent of nan personification successful charge.

The agency said it will talk further actions, but did not instantly opportunity whether it would make different effort to detain Yoon. The warrant for his detention is valid for 1 week.

Yoon’s lawyers person besides based on that nan Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, which is starring a associated investigation pinch constabulary and subject investigators, lacks nan authority to analyse rebellion charges. They said that constabulary officers don’t person nan ineligible authority to assistance successful detaining Yoon, and could look apprehension by either nan “presidential information work aliases immoderate citizens.” They didn’t elaborate further connected nan claim.

If investigators negociate to detain Yoon, they will apt inquire a tribunal for support to make a general arrest. Otherwise, he will beryllium released aft 48 hours.

Thousands of constabulary officers gathered astatine Yoon’s residence connected Friday, forming a perimeter astir a increasing group of pro-Yoon protesters who braved subfreezing temperatures for hours, waving South Korean and American flags while chanting slogans successful his support. There were nary contiguous reports of awesome clashes extracurricular nan residence.

Nearly 5 hours aft dozens of investigators and constabulary officers were seen entering nan gross of nan residence successful Seoul to execute a warrant for Yoon’s detention, nan melodramatic segment appeared to person developed into a standoff. Two of Yoon’s lawyers, Yoon Kap-keun and Kim Hong-il, were seen entering nan gross of nan statesmanlike residence astir noon.

Seok Dong-hyeon, 1 of respective lawyers connected Yoon’s ineligible team, confirmed that nan investigators arrived astatine nan building but said it was improbable that they would beryllium capable to detain nan president connected Friday. He said nan agency’s efforts to detain Yoon were “reckless” and showed an “outrageous discard for law.”

The anti-corruption agency didn’t instantly reply to questions astir whether investigators successfully entered Yoon’s residential building, but South Korea’s YTN tv reported scuffles arsenic investigators and constabulary confronted nan statesmanlike information forces.

South Korea’s Defense Ministry confirmed that nan investigators and constabulary officers sewage past a subject portion guarding nan residence’s grounds earlier arriving astatine nan building. The statesmanlike information service, which controls nan residence itself, refused to remark connected whether its members were confronting investigators and whether they planned to artifact nan detention attempt.

The wide guidance Democratic Party called connected nan country’s acting leader, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, to bid nan statesmanlike information work to guidelines down. Choi didn’t instantly remark connected nan situation.

“Do not resistance nan upright unit of nan statesmanlike information work and different nationalist officials into nan depths of crime,” said Jo Seung-lae, a Democratic lawmaker. Choi must “remember that swiftly addressing nan rebellion and preventing further chaos is your responsibility,” Jo said.

Yoon’s defense minister, constabulary main and respective apical subject commanders person already been arrested complete their roles successful nan play of martial law.

Yoon’s statesmanlike powers person been suspended since nan National Assembly voted to impeach him connected Dec. 14. Yoon’s destiny now lies pinch nan Constitutional Court, which has begun deliberations connected whether to uphold nan impeachment and formally region Yoon from agency aliases reinstate him. At slightest six justices connected nan nine-member Constitutional Court must ballot successful favour to region him from office.

Facing increasing pressure, nan caller acting president, Choi, appointed 2 caller justices connected Tuesday, which could summation nan chances of nan tribunal upholding Yoon’s impeachment.

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South KoreaYoon Suk Yeol