SKorea officials again enter impeached President Yoon’s residence to arrest him

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South Korean authorities again sought to execute an arrest warrant against impeached President Yoon Seok-yul on Wednesday, in a fresh attempt to arrest him on rebellion charges linked to the Dec. 3 declaration of martial law. Entered his residence.

Video footage shows hundreds of police officers, some carrying ladders and wire cutters, marching down the road leading to his mountain villa, where Yoon has been kept for weeks under the protection of a small army of personal guards. has gone

Investigators arrested the acting head of Yun’s Presidential Security Service, thwarting an earlier attempt to arrest him on January 3, Yonhap news agency reported.

As local news broadcasters reported, Yoon’s arrest could come soon, according to a Reuters witness at the scene, Yoon’s supporters. There were some minor clashes between the protesters and the police near the residence.

Police said they had deployed 3,200 officers to Yoon’s residence on Wednesday to carry out the arrest, where hundreds of pro-Yoon protesters and members of his People’s Power Party gathered at dawn in sub-zero temperatures. were gathered earlier.

Acting President Choi Sang-mok said in a statement on Wednesday, “As I have repeatedly emphasized the need to prevent physical confrontation between state institutions… if any untoward incident occurs, I will strictly punish those responsible.” I will catch it.”

Yun’s declaration of martial law stunned South Koreans and plunged one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies into an unprecedented period of political crisis.

This is the first arrest warrant issued against a sitting South Korean president. Yoon’s lawyers have argued that efforts to arrest him are illegal and designed to publicly humiliate him.

Separately, the Constitutional Court is considering whether to uphold lawmakers’ vote to impeach Yun and permanently remove him from office.

‘No Place to Run’

The latest arrest attempt gripped the nation, with hundreds of thousands of people glued to South Korean broadcasters’ live feeds on YouTube before sunrise.

Anti-corruption unit officers leading the investigation approached the residence at 4 a.m. (1900 GMT).

By then, hundreds of pro-Yeon protesters were already there, some wrapped in foil blankets and others waving flags that read “Stop the theft” against Yun’s unsubstantiated claims of election rigging. was referring to – one of the reasons he gave to justify his short-lived martial law. Declaration of the law.

“I will be heartbroken if the president is arrested,” said Jang Kyung-sun, 64, a Yoon supporter who traveled to Seoul from eastern Gangwon Province to protest his arrest.

He declared martial law in true sense for the nation and the people.

The opposition Democratic Party, which holds a majority in parliament after winning a landslide legislative election last year, issued a statement commemorating Yun’s arrest.

The party said there is no place to run now.

Cho Sun-ah, 51, was among another group of people who rallied near Yoon’s residence in support of authorities’ efforts to arrest Yoon.

“I don’t think it’s right to keep it like this despite the fact that an arrest warrant has been issued for the mastermind of the coup without facing any punishment. President,” he said.

Yun’s lawyers have argued that the arrest warrant is illegal because it was issued by a court in the wrong jurisdiction and the team formed to investigate him had no legal authority to do so. .

The team executing the arrest warrant – made up of the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) for high-ranking officials and the police – obtained the reissued warrant on January 7 and seized Yoon’s personal information to ensure Had several meetings with security. A successful implementation.

Oh Dong-won, head of the CIO leading the investigation, has said authorities will do whatever it takes to detain Yoon.