Police officers near the residence of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul, Wednesday, January 15, 2025 (local date). TYRONE SIU / REUTERS Investigators who came to arrest the suspended South Korean president, Yoon Suk Yeol, on Wednesday January 15 (local date), for his failed attempt to impose martial law, are engaged in a new face-to-face against his guard close, which blocks their operation, noted Agence France-Presse (AFP). Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers In South Korea, the presidential guard prevents the arrest of President Yoon Suk Yeol Read later The agents of the IOC, the entity which centralizes the investigations into Mr. Yoon, “are in an impasse facing the service Presidential Security Service (PSS) after showing their warrants,” including an arrest order, the Yonhap news agency reported. The PSS has already failed their first attempt on January 3. Mr. Yoon, 64, risks his mandate for having briefly introduced martial law on December 3, a shock measure that he had justified by his desire to protect the country from “North Korean communist forces” and to “eliminate the elements hostile to the State. Within a Parliament surrounded by soldiers, a sufficient number of deputies quickly thwarted his plans by voting for a text demanding the lifting of this state of exception. Put under pressure by elected officials, thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators and constrained by the Constitution, Mr. Yoon had to comply. Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers The political crisis in South Korea, between polarization and outdated institutions Read later Physical confrontation Two investigators’ vehicles arrived at his home before dawn on Wednesday, according to Yonhap. Live television broadcasts showed IOC personnel, accompanied by police, attempting to enter Mr. Yoon’s residence but being blocked by unidentified people. Investigators, who have warned they will apprehend anyone obstructing them, are engaged in a “physical confrontation as they try to forcefully enter the presidential residence,” Yonhap said. Thousands of resolute supporters of the former star prosecutor are massed in front of his home to protect him, AFP journalists noted. Start of his trial The country has been plunged into political chaos since Mr. Yoon’s coup, suspended on December 14 after the National Assembly adopted an impeachment motion against him. Le Monde Mémorable Test your general knowledge with the editorial staff of “Le Monde” Test your general knowledge with the editorial staff of “Le Monde” Discover The IOC investigators first tried to apprehend him on January 3 but came up against the determined PSS not to let them do it, putting an end to their operation after six hours of tense face-to-face. Yoon Suk Yeol’s protection agents had been strengthening the defenses of his home for several days with barbed wire and bus barriers blocking the entrance. If arrested, which would be a first for a sitting South Korean head of state, Yoon Suk Yeol can be held in police custody for forty-eight hours under the active warrant. Investigators will have to request a new one to extend his detention, if necessary. The legal team of the former star magistrate, holed up at home for several weeks, describes the order to arrest him as “invalid”. His chief of staff, Chung Jin-suk, said on Tuesday (January 14) that his office was “ready to consider all options for investigations and visits” to Mr. Yoon “at a third location.” Also on Tuesday, the Constitutional Court launched the examination of the dismissal of the conservative leader, with a first very short hearing in his absence. His lawyers had expressed his willingness to come and explain himself, but not during this inaugural session, citing “concerns” regarding security. The trial will continue, even without him, and four more sessions are scheduled for January 16, 21 and 23, as well as February 4. The Constitutional Court has until mid-June to decide on the future of Yoon Suk Yeol, still officially President of the Republic while awaiting the verdict. The court may either permanently dismiss him or reinstate him in his functions. Le Monde with AFP Reuse this content
Author : News7
Publish date : 2025-01-14 23:02:55
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