The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) said Friday it would “review and decide” whether to reattempt an execution of the warrant to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol after failing to arrest him earlier in the day.
Investigators from the CIO and police suspended their attempt to take Yoon into custody after some five and half hours, as they were blocked by the Presidential Security Service (PSS) and military personnel from the Capital Defense Command at the presidential residence in central Seoul.
The CIO stated in a notice to the press that it halted the warrant execution at around 1:30 p.m. due to “concerns over the safety of personnel dispatched to the site,” concluding that it was “impossible to execute the warrant as the standoff continued.” The agency expressed regret over Yoon’s "attitude of refusing to comply with legal procedures” and said it would review its next steps.
The warrant remains valid until Jan. 6.
The investigative team departed CIO headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi, at 6:14 a.m. and arrived at the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan District, at 7:21 a.m. They exited their vehicles and bypassed the barricade surrounding the residence, which was opened at 8:02 a.m.
However, investigators and police were stopped about 200 meters (656 feet) from the residence by around 200 personnel from the PSS and military, according to a CIO official who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity. At least 10 vehicles, including buses and passenger cars, were used to block their path.
The official added that physical altercations occurred during the standoff and that some PSS personnel carried firearms. However, the PSS personnel involved in the altercations did not possess weapons, the CIO official said.
Observing a large number of personnel securing the area, the CIO decided to suspend the warrant execution for safety reasons.
According to the official, none of the dispatched personnel could meet Yoon, and as such could not confirm whether he was at the residence.
After prolonged negotiations, three prosecutors managed to approach the front of the residence and present the warrant to Yoon’s attorneys. The official said the attorneys suggested discussing the investigative process once they formally submit their appointments as Yoon's legal representatives.
Some 100 personnel — 20 CIO officials and 80 police officers — were involved in the arrest attempt. The CIO had requested the cooperation from the PSS, but the agency cited the Presidential Security Act to deny a search of the residence. The act mandates that the PSS “take charge of the security service for the president," requiring them to protect Yoon until his official removal from office.
Following the failed arrest attempt, the joint investigative headquarters, comprising the CIO, police and Defense Ministry, booked the chief and deputy chief of the PSS over accusations of special obstruction of public duty and summoned them for questioning by Saturday.
Yoon’s legal representatives denounced the attempt later in the day, regarding it as “illegal and invalid,” and argued that the CIO “lacks jurisdiction over crimes of insurrection.”
“The CIO tried to forcibly execute these warrants in a high-security area designated for protecting classified military information using mobile police units to apply physical force,” the statement read.
“We strongly urge the CIO to adhere to the law and perform its duties properly.”
The arrest attempt followed a court approval on Tuesday of the warrant to detain Yoon on charges of masterminding the Dec. 3 martial law declaration, plotting insurrection and abusing presidential authority.
With the warrant’s expiration on Jan. 6, the CIO must decide whether to proceed with another attempt, possibly over the weekend, although larger crowds of protesters are expected to gather near the residence, elevating safety risks.
Supporters of Yoon celebrated near the residence on Friday after the warrant execution was suspended. On Thursday, they had been forcibly dispersed by police while gathering to support the president as the warrant execution approached.
While the presidential office did not issue any official statement regarding the arrest attempt on Friday, it accused three local broadcasters — MBC, JTBC and SBS — as well as a YouTuber of violating the Protection of Military Bases and Installations Act by filming the presidential residence, designated “a high-security military facility.”
The office regarded the filming and broadcasting as unlawful, stating that such actions “threaten national security and disrupt social order.”
The liberal Democratic Party (DP) urged the CIO to reattempt the arrest.
“Promptly arresting the mastermind of the insurrection is an urgent matter for the country to overcome its crisis,” DP floor leader Park Chan-dae said during a press conference at the National Assembly, urging the CIO to trust the public and enforce the law.
Kwon Young-se, chief of the conservative People Power Party’s emergency steering committee, criticized the arrest attempt as “inappropriate” and an “overreach of authority.”
“It’s a relief that the execution was suspended, but such an attempt should not happen again,” Kwon said during an emergency press conference.
He also stressed that the Constitutional Court would promptly review Yoon’s impeachment given that two new justices were sworn in, adding that investigations against Yoon could take place concurrently during the review process.