South Korea’s anti-corruption agency has dispatched investigators to execute a warrant to detain impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol, as hundreds of his supporters are gathered at his residence in Seoul, vowing to block their approach.Â
Investigators of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials were seen loading boxes into several vehicles before leaving their building in the city of Gwacheon early Friday. The office didn’t immediately confirm how many investigators were sent.Â
A Seoul court issued a warrant for Yoon’s detention after he evaded multiple requests to appear for questioning and blocked searches of his office in Seoul, hindering an investigation into whether his short-lived power grab on Dec. 3 amounted to rebellion.
Thousands of police officers were gathered at Yoon’s residence. There were no immediate reports of clashes with protesters.
If Yoon is detained, the anti-corruption agency will have 48 hours to investigate him and either request a warrant for his formal arrest or release him. Yoon’s defence minister, police chief and several top military commanders have already been arrested over their roles in the martial law enactment.
It wasn’t clear whether the president would co-operate with authorities trying to detain him. In a defiant New Year’s message to conservative supporters rallying outside, Yoon said he would “fight to the end” against “anti-state forces.”
Legal fight over warrant
Yoon’s lawyers have argued the court’s detainment warrant is invalid, claiming that the anti-corruption agency lacks the legal authority to investigate rebellion charges. They also accuse the court of bypassing a law that says locations potentially linked to military secrets cannot be seized or searched without the consent of the person in charge.
Oh Dong-woon, the agency’s chief prosecutor, has indicated that police forces might be deployed if Yoon’s security service resists the detention attempt.
But Yoon’s legal team issued a statement on Thursday warning that any attempt by the agency to use police units for his detention would exceed their legal authority. The lawyers said police officers could face arrest by either the “presidential security service or any citizens” if they try to detain Yoon. They didn’t elaborate further on the claim.
South Korean law permits anyone to make an arrest to stop an active crime, and critics accused Yoon of inciting his supporters to obstruct attempts to detain him.
Yoon Kap-keun, the president’s lawyer, filed a challenge with the Seoul Western District Court on Thursday to block both the detention warrant for Yoon Suk Yeol and a related search warrant for his residence. The lawyer argued that both warrants violate criminal laws and the constitution.
The liberal opposition Democratic Party, which drove the legislative vote that impeached the president on Dec. 14 over his imposition of martial law, accused the leader of trying to mobilize his supporters to block his detention and called for law enforcement authorities to execute the warrant immediately.