Seoul, Jan 3
South Korea's investigators held back from executing a warrant to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday as thousands rallied outside his residence to stop his arrest.
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) was granted a warrant on Tuesday to detain Yoon on charges of insurrection and abuse of power over his Dec. 3 declaration of martial law. However, it was reportedly reviewing ways to eliminate questions about the warrant's legality and weighing the optimal time to put it into effect.
The warrant is set to expire next Monday, leading to speculation the CIO could try to detain Yoon as early as Friday.
Concerns still persist over a potential clash between Yoon's supporters and law enforcement authorities.
On Thursday, some 30 supporters were forcibly dispersed by the police after they broke through a police barrier to protest outside the entrance of the presidential residence.
The supporters were carried away by their limbs, with some yelling the president's name, Yonhap news agency reported.
Yoon has become the first sitting South Korean president to face arrest.
In a message to supporters outside his residence on Wednesday, Yoon claimed the country is in danger "due to internal and external forces infringing on its sovereignty and the activities by anti-state groups."
"With you, I will fight to the end to protect this country," he said in the message.
Yoon's lawyer claimed Thursday that if police attempt to carry out the warrant on behalf of the CIO, the presidential security service would be able to arrest them on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of official duties.
Meanwhile, Yoon's legal defence team has filed an injunction to suspend the warrant's effect, calling it "illegal."
Earlier in the day, it also filed an objection to the execution of the detention warrant, as well as a warrant to search the presidential residence.
The CIO requested the warrants after Yoon ignored all three summonses to appear for questioning as part of its joint investigation with the police and the defense ministry's investigation unit into the martial law bid.
While warrants are swiftly carried out once issued, the CIO appears to be mindful of how and when it is executed, given that it targets a sitting president.
The presidential security service has said it would take security measures in accordance with due process after the warrants were issued, leading observers to believe the security service may maintain its protection for Yoon rather than cooperate with investigators.
The CIO has vowed to execute the warrants.
The search warrant outlined an exception to laws that restrict searches in locations with military secrets or seizing official secrets without consent.
The security service had previously prevented investigators from raiding the presidential office on such grounds.
An official at the security service told Yonhap News Agency that it has yet to confirm whether the exception is spelled out in the warrant.
Oh Dong-woon, the CIO chief, called on the security service Wednesday to cooperate, warning that any attempt to block the execution of the warrants could amount to dereliction of duty and obstruction of official duties.
If Yoon is arrested, investigators plan to take him to the CIO's headquarters in Gwacheon, just south of Seoul, for questioning before detaining him at the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang near the CIO's office.
Once detained, the CIO will have 48 hours to either seek another warrant for Yoon's formal arrest for further detention or release him.
