LAWYERS for impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol denounced efforts to detain him over his short-lived imposition of martial law, while the country’s acting leader warned today of a possible clash between police officers and the president’s security personnel.
As anti-corruption officials and police prepared another attempt to detain Mr Yoon following last week’s failed effort, the presidential security service fortified his compound with barbed wire and rows of tightly placed vehicles blocking the path to his residence.
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials and police say they will make a more forceful effort to detain Mr Yoon, warning that they could arrest members of the presidential security staff if they obstruct efforts to seize the embattled president.
The office, which is leading a joint investigation with police and military, has been seeking Mr Yoon’s detention since he repeatedly ignored summons for questioning about whether his brief power grab on December 3 constituted rebellion.
In a news conference today, the president’s lawyers challenged the legitimacy of a new detention warrant issued on Tuesday by the Seoul Western District Court, arguing that the anti-corruption agency lacks legal authority to investigate rebellion charges or order police to detain suspects.
Meanwhile, at a government meeting on Wednesday, the country’s acting president, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang Mok, urged authorities to ensure “there are no injuries to citizens or physical clashes between government agencies” in any attempt to detain Mr Yoon.
In a parliamentary hearing on Tuesday, Oh Dong Woon, the anti-corruption agency’s chief prosecutor, criticised Mr Choi for instructing police to follow the presidential security service’s request to beef up security at the president’s residence ahead of Friday’s failed detention attempt.
The police did not carry out Mr Choi’s instruction, and Mr Oh said the agency was reviewing whether Mr Choi’s actions constituted an obstruction of official duties.