South Korea Anti-corruption agency asks police to arrest Yoon
The South Korean anti-corruption agency (CIO) has asked the police to enforce the arrest of suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol.
06.01.2025, 03:34
SDA
After several attempts, the investigators were unable to take Yoon into custody on their own initiative. It is not yet clear whether the police will comply with the CIO's request. "We are conducting an internal legal review," a police official told the Yonhap news agency.
Most recently on Friday, dozens of investigators led by the CIO spent more than five and a half hours trying to detain Yoon for questioning in the case surrounding the brief imposition of martial law in early December. However, around 200 members of the army and security services stood in the way of the authorities on the grounds of the president's residence. For security reasons, investigators from the anti-corruption agency finally broke off the arrest attempt.
Arrest warrant for Yoon expires Monday night
The arrest warrant issued against Yoon by a Seoul district court last Sunday expires on Monday at midnight (local time). A few hours before the deadline, the CIO announced its intention to apply for an extension of the warrant, according to Yonhap.
Yoon is being investigated after he briefly declared martial law on December 3 in a budget dispute with the opposition. Parliament later voted in favor of his impeachment. The Constitutional Court is currently reviewing this decision. For the time being, the former Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang Mok is in charge of state affairs.
The accusations against Yoon are abuse of power and sedition. Before the attempted arrest, he had ignored three summonses from the Corruption Investigation Bureau. In the end, the agency successfully applied to a court for his arrest.
