The political leadership in South Korea faced a tense situation as the sitting president resisted arrest following a failed martial law decree. President Yoon Suk Yeol was shielded by his guards and military troops, preventing investigators from carrying out the arrest due to safety concerns. Yoon had been impeached and suspended after the unsuccessful martial law declaration, with a warrant issued for his arrest on criminal charges of insurrection.
The standoff between Yoon and the investigators, which involved clashes but no shots fired, left the arrest attempt in limbo as the court-ordered warrant was set to expire. The possibility of another arrest attempt before the warrant expiration or applying for a new warrant was being considered by the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO).
Yoon’s lawyers denounced the arrest attempt as unlawful, while top officials from his security service refused to appear for questioning to protect him. Legal experts suggested that the arrest might be delayed until the Constitutional Court rules on the impeachment motion.
The situation has created instability in South Korea, prompting calls from the United States for the political elite to work towards a stable resolution. The US reaffirmed its commitment to bilateral ties as Secretary of State Antony Blinken prepared for talks in Seoul with a focus on US-South Korea relations and concerns about North Korea.