South Korean investigators’ attempt to arrest impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol was blocked in a dramatic showdown at his residence, with his heavily armed Secret Service bodyguards standing firm. Yoon, who is under investigation for charges including insurrection, has refused multiple summonses to face questioning, calling the legal actions against him illegitimate. Last Tuesday, a court issued an arrest warrant to bring the 64-year-old president in for questioning, but Yoon and his legal team have rejected the warrant as “illegal.”
The confrontation unfolded on Friday in a tense six-hour standoff at the presidential residence in central Seoul. Hundreds of Yoon’s supporters gathered outside, waving South Korean and U.S. flags and holding signs reading “Nullify impeachment.” Investigators, arriving early in the morning, faced resistance as a security bus blocked their vehicles, and it took nearly three hours for them to gain access.
As they approached the residence, investigators were met with a wall of around 200 armed bodyguards and several vehicles. Only three prosecutors were able to reach the door, where they handed the arrest warrant to Yoon’s lawyers. The response was clear: “We will not comply with an illegal warrant.” By 1:30 p.m., the standoff ended with investigators calling off the attempt, citing safety concerns and deeming it “virtually impossible” to carry out the arrest.
This marked the first attempt to detain Yoon, though it may not be the last. The warrant remains valid through Monday, and the investigators could request its renewal.
The political unrest is coming at a critical time for South Korea, with rising tensions from a shifting U.S. administration, a growing threat from North Korea, and a deadly plane crash that killed 179 people. Yoon had been stripped of his presidential powers following his impeachment on December 14. Just last week, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who had been acting as president, was also impeached, deepening the political crisis.
‘Fight to the end’
After the failed attempt to arrest impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, South Korea’s special investigators warned that presidential security personnel who assisted in blocking the arrest could face charges of dereliction of duty or obstruction. The investigators view the execution of the arrest warrant as a standard judicial procedure. By law, the presidential security team’s role is to protect the leader, and despite Yoon’s impeachment, he remains the elected president until the Constitutional Court makes its final ruling, which could come before mid-June.
Yoon’s security team appears to see the arrest attempt as a direct threat to his safety, leading to the ongoing conflict, according to constitutional law expert Kim Seon-taek. Following the failed arrest, the head of Yoon’s security was charged with obstructing public duty after denying investigators access to the residence, citing security concerns. Both he and a deputy will be questioned on Saturday.
The inability to detain Yoon is likely to escalate political unrest, with mass protests continuing across South Korea, both in support of and against the impeachment. Yoon’s supporters, including influential far-right figures, have called for large-scale mobilizations to defend him. Investigators have already been blocked from conducting search-and-seizure operations by Yoon’s Secret Service team. Last Thursday, law enforcement forcibly removed around 30 pro-Yoon protesters who breached police barriers near the presidential residence.
In a letter to his supporters, Yoon expressed gratitude for their efforts, which he watched through YouTube livestreams, and vowed to “fight to the end” to protect the country, citing the growing threat posed by anti-state groups. Supporters, chanting “Let’s protect Yoon,” have clashed with law enforcement, blocking roads and attacking police.
Yoon’s legal troubles coincide with his impeachment trial, which began last week, with the first arguments scheduled for January 14. The Constitutional Court will ultimately decide his fate, similar to the role the U.S. Senate plays in impeachment cases.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who assumed the presidency after Yoon’s impeachment, was also impeached by the opposition-led National Assembly for refusing to appoint judges to the Constitutional Court, leaving it underrepresented. This political turmoil has left Choi Sang-mok, the acting president, with control over the country’s top positions, including acting prime minister, deputy prime minister, and head of the economy and finance ministry.
Leadership vacuum
On Tuesday, Choi Sang-mok, acting president of South Korea, appointed judges to fill two of the three vacant seats on the Constitutional Court, hoping to “end political uncertainty and social conflict” quickly. This move, however, sparked immediate backlash from conservative factions, with many top presidential aides who had served under Yoon Suk Yeol resigning in protest.
As acting president, Choi has the authority to order the Secret Service to allow Yoon’s arrest, but he has yet to publicly comment on the situation, said Korea University’s Kim Seon-taek. Meanwhile, Park Chan-dae, the opposition’s Democratic Party floor leader, called for investigators to attempt another arrest of Yoon. He criticized Yoon for evading legal accountability over the controversial martial-law order, stating, “The public has once again confirmed how pathetic and squalid Yoon is.”
If the Constitutional Court upholds Yoon’s impeachment, he will be removed from office and lose the presidential immunity that shields leaders from most charges, except for serious crimes like insurrection or treason. In that case, a snap election would be called within 60 days, with opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, Yoon’s main political rival and the key figure behind the impeachment, seen as the frontrunner.
A recent poll found that 61% of South Koreans support upholding Yoon’s impeachment, while 37% oppose it.
Yoon’s situation echoes the case of former President Park Geun-hye, who was impeached in 2017 over a corruption scandal and faced simultaneous criminal charges. However, Park wasn’t detained until her impeachment was upheld by the Constitutional Court, and her trial lasted over a year.
In the wake of the failed arrest attempt, three senior South Korean military officials, including Yoon’s former defense minister, have been indicted for insurrection linked to the martial-law order, with several other officials questioned.
As investigators backed off on a cold Friday afternoon, pro-Yoon supporters cheered, shouting, “We won!” Rhee Kang-san, a supporter who had spent 26 hours protesting outside the presidential compound, celebrated briefly but quickly grew anxious. With the arrest warrant still valid, he fears more attempts and plans to join weekend rallies calling for Yoon’s exoneration.