The Corruption Investigation Office of Senior Officials (CIO) announced that it had begun executing an arrest warrant for Yoon Suk Yeol, who is facing charges of treason and abuse of power in connection with the brief imposition of martial law on December 3, 2024. However, military forces believed to be from the Capital Guard Command blocked the investigation team at the entrance to the compound, Yonhap reported.
The CIO has until January 6, 2025, to execute the arrest warrant. However, on January 2, thousands of Yoon’s supporters poured into the presidential compound, fiercely protesting the impeachment and blocking the arrest warrant. Police were forced to disperse some groups of protesters and force them away, but their large presence remains a major obstacle.
Observers warn that implementing the order this weekend could lead to more tense confrontations, while leaving it until January 6 is too close to the deadline.
In response, the CIO coordinated with the police and the Ministry of Defense's investigation force, mobilizing a team of 150 people, including 30 CIO investigators and 120 police officers, of whom 70 waited outside the presidential palace grounds.
Yoon Suk Yeol ignored three summonses for questioning, forcing the CIO to seek arrest and search warrants for the presidential palace. Yoon’s legal team called the warrants “illegal and invalid” and filed an emergency application to block their execution.
Lawyer Yun Gap-geun, one of Mr. Yoon’s legal advisers, said on January 3 that “legal action” would be taken against the CIO’s efforts. Meanwhile, police have said they will arrest anyone, whether presidential security or Mr. Yoon’s supporters, who obstruct the execution of their duties.
If arrested, Mr. 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 a formal arrest warrant or release him.
The current situation puts both the CIO and Mr. Yoon under tremendous pressure. The CIO’s success would not only be a turning point in the case, but would also define the agency’s role in the fight against corruption. Conversely, if Mr. Yoon avoids arrest, he will further consolidate public support and weaken the CIO’s position.
Time waits for no one, and the presidential palace is becoming a battlefield between the law, the military, and a wave of protests from the Korean people.
