Photo/EPA/EFEStandoff in South Korea as officials arrive to arrest impeached president over martial law

President Yoon Suk Yeol faces possible insurrection charges after his short-lived martial law declaration last month plunged the key U.S. ally into political instability.

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean authorities moved Friday to carry out an unprecedented arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol over his botched attempt to declare martial law in a dramatic standoff at the presidential residence where Yoon has been staying since he was impeached last month.

Summary

Police officers in South Korea have arrived at President Yoon Suk Yeol’s home in a bid to arrest him over his short-lived declaration of martial law in early December
About 20 officers marched to the presidential residence at about 08:00 local time (23:00 GMT) with that number reinforced to about 80 an hour later, say BBC reporters at the scene
Yoon’s lawyer says they will challenge the “unlawful” arrest warrant and his presidential security forces are reportedly blocking the attempt to take him into custody
A court issued the warrant earlier this week against Yoon after he refused to answer summons to appear before officials investigating him for abusing his power and inciting an insurrection
Yoon was suspended from duties on 14 December after lawmakers voted to impeach him, but he can only be removed from office if this is upheld by the country’s constitutional court.
N Korea state media says South in ‘political chaos’published at 07:11

North Korean state media has said the South is in a state of “political chaos”, as investigators attempt to arrest its impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol.

“A detention warrant was issued for the president, paralysing state affairs and further deepening social and political chaos,” said the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

South Korean news outlet Yonhap said the report was an attempt to point out the North’s comparative stability.

Threats from North Korea sympathisers had been cited by Yoon as the reason behind declaring martial law.

But despite the mention, North Korea was conspicuously silent, taking a week before even mentioning the South’s political turmoil – ironically, in North Korea’s first report of Yoon’s martial law saga, state media accused Yoon of trying to run a “fascist dictatorship”.
1. Supporters of Yoon have been outside the presidential residence for hours, with many chanting in support of Yoon. But one slogan in particular stands out: “Stop the steal”.
  
  This is a common refrain used by US president-elect Donald Trump and his supporters alleging voter fraud in the 2020 presidential race.
  
  In a similar vein, some of Yoon’s supporters have latched onto the idea that the parliamentary elections last year, in which the opposition won by a landslide, were rigged – something that Yoon alluded to in his martial law declaration.
  
  Both the election committee and Supreme Court have dismissed this claim as baseless.
  
  But this idea has really taken hold among Yoon’s supporters over the past month. They also don’t trust mainstream media, denouncing it as fake news.
2. Yoon’s legal team has entered presidential residencepublished at 06:34
  
  We’re seeing that Yoon’s legal team has entered the compound of Yoon’s residence.
  
  His lawyer Yoon Gab-keun had earlier said that they would take legal action over the arrest warrant, which they have called “illegal and invalid”.
  
  Image source,Reuters
  Image caption,
  
  Yoon’s lawyer Yoon Gab-keun at the entrance to the president’s residence
  
  Arrest team likely to negotiate for access to Yoon – expertspublished at 06:14
  
  Earlier we reported that the arrest team in the presidential compound was being blocked by Yoon’s security service, which is tasked with protecting the president.
  
  But Chun In-bum, retired commander of South Korea’s special forces, told the BBC that the arrest team is likely to negotiate a way to get access to Yoon.
  
  “It’s a very difficult situation for everybody. The secret service, their mandate is quite clear but at the same time they know in their hearts this is not the legal thing to do,” he said, speaking to Newsday.
  
  “I’m just hoping that there will be no violence.”
  
  Sydney Seiler, a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies also told Newsday that while the tensions outside the presidential residence may be shocking for people watching around the world, “there is still a lot of reason to be optimistic that this will resolve itself without the use of force”.
  
  “But President Yoon is not going to not give in easily,” he adds.
  
  Prosecutors indict two military commanders: Yonhappublished at 05:55
  
  Image source,Getty Images
  Image caption,
  
  South Korea’s army chief Park An-su
  
  Meanwhile, prosecutors have indicted army chief Park An-su, who was named martial law commander during the brief declaration last month, and special forces commander Kwak Jong-geun on insurrection charges, according to news outlet Yonhap.
  
  They are to face trial while in prison.
  
  South Korean protestors have blocked similar arrest bids beforepublished at 05:39
  
  South Korean officials have previously failed to execute similar arrest warrants for lawmakers, thanks to party members and supporters blocking police for the seven-day period that such warrants are valid for.
  
  In 2004, Democratic Party leader Han Hwa-gap avoided arrest over illegal political donation allegations, and in 2000, officials tried to arrest then Grand National Party member Jeong Hyeong-geun four times – though he ended up appearing for questioning voluntarily.
  
  Investigators have until 6 January to arrest Yoon, before the warrant expires.
  
  Arrest team gathering at main entrancepublished at 05:24
  
  Jake Kwon
  Reporting from Seoul
  
  Image source,Reuters
  Image caption,
  
  Some members of the arrest team have entered Yoon’s residence
  
  We’re seeing visuals of the arrest team – all of them in black – crowding around the main entrance of the presidential residence, which has been fenced up.
  
  We earlier said it was a 80-strong team, but local news site Yonhap is reporting nearly double those numbers. It says the arrest team comprises 120 police officers and 30 officials from the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO).
  
  Eighty of them are in the compound, while the rest are standing guard outside, they say.
  
  We’ll bring you more details as we get them.
  
  Watch: Protesters gather to support Yoonpublished at 04:52
  
  Many of Yoon’s supporters have for days been congregating outside his presidential residence, vowing to block his arrest, and this morning is no different.
  
  Before the sun had even risen, scores of people holding South Korean flags and signs were at the gates, where they’ve been angrily chanting as officers inside advance towards Yoon’s door.
  
  00:29
  
  Media caption,
  
  Watch: Supporters of President Yoon gather outside presidential palace in Seoul
  
  Who are the officers blocking Yoon’s arrest and why?published at 04:37
  
  Jean Mackenzie
  Seoul correspondent
  
  Although President Yoon has been suspended and stripped of his powers, he is still being protected by the presidential security service, as well as a military unit that is responsible for protecting the city of Seoul, including the presidential compound and residence.
  
  The defence ministry says the arrest team has now moved past the military officers, but it seems the security team is still standing in their way.
  
  There are questions over whether these officers should be allowed to block attempts by law enforcement officers who are carrying out a legal arrest warrant – and what powers the acting president Choi sang-mok has to get them to stand down.
  
  Opposition tells Yoon’s security forces to stand downpublished at 04:25
  
  South Korea’s opposition party – which commands a parliamentary majority – has urged Yoon’s security personnel to cooperate with his arrest, according to Korean media reports.
  
  We are hearing reports that Yoon’s presidential security forces known as the PSS, are trying to block his arrest.
  
  “Anyone who obstructs the execution of an arrest warrant will be punished on charges of obstruction of special official duties and complicity in insurrection,” Democratic Party parliament floor representative Park Chan-dae warned.
  
  Meanwhile, the party leader of Yoon’s People Power Party has asked police investigators to refrain from any “unreasonable attempts at arresting the sitting president”.
  
  Officials now at Yoon’s door – Yonhappublished at 04:12
  
  According to South Korean news agency Yonhap, the 80-strong arrest team has made its way through the presidential compound and is now at the door of the residence building, where they are attempting entry.
  
  The BBC hasn’t been able to independently confirm this – but we’re expecting updates as the day goes on.
  
  Image source,Reuters
  
  Arrest team no longer in standoff with military unitpublished at 04:11
  
  The arrest team has moved through a standoff with a military unit inside the presidential compound, local media is reporting.
  
  The team now faces the president’s security service, which has blocked previous attempts to raid Yoon’s office and residence.
  
  In pictures: Tensions also outside Yoon’s residencepublished at 03:47
  
  Police officers, Yoon’s supporters and the media have all gathered outside the presidential residence this morning.
  
  Tensions are simmering and protesters are fired up, chanting Yoon’s name in support of the suspended president.
  
  Image source,Getty Images
  Image caption,
  
  Yoon’s supporters waving South Korean and US flags
  
  Image source,Jake Kwon/BBC
  Image caption,
  
  Protesters gather outside the presidential residence, as they did yesterday
  
  Image source,Reuters
  Image caption,
  
  Investigators clad in black enter Yoon’s official residence
  
  Yoon’s lawyer says they will challenge arrest warrantpublished at 03:28
  
  Breaking
  
  The president’s lawyer has released a statement vowing to legally challenge the arrest warrant, without elaborating.
  
  The president’s team has previously called the order “unlawful”.
  
  Investigators blocked by military unit, Yonhap reportspublished at 03:21
  
  South Korean news agency Yonhap is reporting that the investigators attempting to arrest Yoon are in a standoff with what appears to be a military unit inside the compound.
  
  The BBC has been unable to independently confirm this.
  
  Police cut off pavements leading to president’s residencepublished at 02:57
  
  Jean Mackenzie
  reporting from Seoul
  
  Police have blocked the pavements leading to the president’s residence.
  
  Dozens of police vans are parked up.
  
  Lines of police officers have been walking up towards the address.
  
  What to know about Yoon Suk Yeolpublished at 02:51
  
  Image source,Getty Images
  
  In 2022, Yoon Suk Yeol, then a political novice, won the presidential election by the narrowest margin South Korea’s democracy had ever seen.
  
  But he soon found himself mired in scandal. Much of it centred around his wife Kim Keon Hee, who was accused of accepting a Dior handbag from a pastor.
  
  After the opposition won the parliamentary election by a landslide last April, Yoon was relegated to a lame duck president, reduced to vetoing bills.
  
  With political challenges pushing his back against the wall, Yoon went for the nuclear option: a martial law order.
  
  But, as evidenced by the string of events that followed – culminating in the attempts to arrest him today – that move has turned out to be a serious miscalculation.
  
  https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/standoff-south-korea-officials-arrive-arrest-impeached-president-marti-rcna185954
  
  Source:BBC and NBC