S. Korean investigators halt bid to arrest impeached president after dramatic standoff

NEWS WIRES

2 January 2025 at 7:48 pm·1-min read

South Korean investigators on Friday called off the arrest of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his failed martial law bid, after an ongoing standoff with the presidential security service at Yoon's residence made the operation "effectively impossible". The Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) has until Monday to execute the warrant.

South Korean investigators called off their attempt to arrest impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol at his residence Friday over a failed martial law bid, citing safety concerns after a standoff with his security team.

Yoon, who has already been suspended from duty by lawmakers, would become the first sitting president in South Korean history to be arrested if the warrant is carried out.

The president, who issued a bungled declaration on December 3 that shook the vibrant East Asian democracy and briefly lurched it back to the dark days of military rule, faces imprisonment or, at worst, the death penalty.

"Regarding the execution of the arrest warrant today, it was determined that the execution was effectively impossible due to the ongoing standoff," the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO), which is probing Yoon over his martial law decree, said in a statement.

The president himself has ignored three rounds of summons from investigators, prompting them to seek the warrant.

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