Yonhap reported that the Corruption Investigation Office of Senior Officials (CIO) announced that it had begun executing the arrest warrant for Mr. Yoon Suk Yeol, who is facing charges of treason and abuse of power related to the brief imposition of martial law on December 3, 2024. However, military forces believed to belong to the Capital Security Command blocked the investigation group at the entrance to the house.
The CIO only has until January 6, 2025 to execute the arrest warrant. However, on January 2, thousands of Yoon's supporters flocked to the presidential palace area, strongly opposing the impeachment and blocking the arrest warrant. Police were forced to dispers some groups of protests and take them away by force, but their large presence was still a major obstacle.
Observers warn that the execution of the order this weekend could lead to more intense confrontations, while waiting until January 6 is too close to the deadline.
To deal with the situation, the CIO coordinated with the police and the Ministry of National Defense's investigation force, mobilizing a group of 150 people, including 30 CIO investigators and 120 police officers, of whom 70 were waiting outside the presidential palace grounds.
Yoon Suk Yeol ignored three summons for questioning, forcing the CIO to request an arrest warrant and search the presidential palace. Mr. Yoon's legal team called the warrants "illegal and invalid," and filed an emergency application to prevent their execution.
Lawyer Yun gap-geun, one of Yoons legal advisers, said on January 3 that legal action would be taken against the CIOs efforts. Meanwhile, the police have vowed to arrest anyone, whether the presidential security forces or Yoon's supporters, who obstructed his mission.
If arrested, Yoon will be taken to the CIO headquarters in Gwacheon for questioning, before he can be detained at the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang. However, the CIO has only 48 hours to request an official arrest warrant or release him.
The current situation puts both the CIO and Mr. Yoon under terrible pressure. The CIO's success is not only a turning point in the case but also shaping the agency's role in the fight against corruption. Conversely, if Mr. Yoon avoids being arrested, he will increase the support of the people and weaken the CIO's position.
The lack of waiting time, and the presidential coup, is becoming a battleground between the law, the army and the wave of protests from the Korean people.
