The president of South Korea was taken into custody over the martial law decree

Detainment of Yoon, a president with martial law decreed by the western district court, fails to appear at his residence

The detainment warrant issued by the western district court was found to be invalid. They cited a law that protects certain locations from being searched without the permission of the person in charge. The court warrant is valid through the 21st.

The investigators and police arrived near a metal gate with a gold presidential mark that’s near a residential building. Some officers were seen entering a door near the metal gate and were joined by a lawyer and his chief of staff. The presidential security service later removed a bus and other vehicles that had been parked tightly inside the gate as a barricade.

Yoon’s lawyers tried to persuade investigators not to execute the detention warrant, saying the president would voluntarily appear for questioning, but the agency declined.

The officers seemingly encountered no meaningful resistance from presidential security forces as they approached Yoon’s residence and there were no immediate reports of clashes.

More than a thousand anti- corruption investigators and police officers could be pressed into service to capture Yoon, who has been holed up in the residence of a friend in the capital for weeks while fighting efforts to oust him.

Yoon has justified his declaration of martial law Dec. 3 as a legitimate act of governance against an “anti-state” opposition employing its legislative majority to thwart his agenda.

The First Hearing for the Impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol: Protests Against “Physical Clashes” and a “Cosmological Trigger”

The police officers and investigators were seen moving up the hill after an hourlong stand-off at the gate. Police officers were using ladders to scale the rows of buses near the compound’s entrance.

Despite a court warrant for Yoon’s detention, the presidential security service has insisted it’s obligated to protect the impeached president and has fortified the compound with barbed wire and rows of buses blocking paths.

If investigators manage to detain Yoon Suk Yeol, they will likely ask a court for permission to make a formal arrest. He will be let go after 48 hours.

As tensions escalated, South Korea’s acting leader, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, issued a statement early Wednesday urging law enforcement and the presidential security service to ensure there are no “physical clashes.”

The Democratic Party made a statement calling for the presidential security service to refrain from carrying out its functions as the result of Yoon’s impeachment. Lawmakers from Yoon’s People Power Party held a rally near the presidential residence, decrying the efforts to detain him as unlawful.

The size of the National Police Agency’s detainment forces prompted speculation that a large number of personnel could be deployed in a possible multi day operation. The police have warned presidential bodyguards that they could be arrested for obstructing the execution of the warrant.

Yoon’s supporters and critics have held competing protests near the residence — one side vowing to protect him, the other calling for his imprisonment — while thousands of police officers in yellow jackets closely monitored the tense situation.

The first formal hearing was held by the Constitutional Court on Tuesday but only lasted five minutes due to the fact that Yoon couldn’t attend. The next hearing is set for Thursday, and the court will then proceed with the trial whether or not Yoon is there.

South Korean President Yoon detained after standoff over martial law decree: A frustration about a “communist” protest outside the presidential residence

“Most people live with constant anxiety, checking every morning if Yoon Suk Yeol has been arrested overnight or if any other situation has happened,” says Min So Won, 24, who protested outside the presidential residence on Wednesday.

The retired teacher was one of the participants in the anti-impeachment protest outside the presidential residence. She says she fears South Korea’s government would collapse if Yoon is impeached.

The leader of the liberal opposition is a “communist,” according to Jeong, the president is the pillar of support for the country.

Speaking to reporters outside the residence, lawmaker Kim Gi-hyeon of the ruling People Power Party also argued the country’s liberal democracy and rule of law is at stake, repeating Yoon’s claims about the illegality of the investigation.

The CIO can hold the president for 48 hours. If the agency files for an arrest warrant, the office and the prosecution will have up to 20 days to question him.

“I haven’t lived for long, but this is the happiest I’ve been in my life,” says Choi Haysu, a 20-year-old college student from the southeastern city of Busan. She claims she spent the night on the street after arriving in the area.

With his detention, investigators turned the page on weeks of anxiety about potential clashes between the presidential security detail and the police following the issuance of Yoon’s warrant.

The political chaos is expected to go on, as the ruling party’s supporters are defiant against the insurrection charges.

Source: South Korean President Yoon detained after standoff over martial law decree

Yoon’s Interference Investigation and the CIO’s ‘Weak’ Task Force, The CIO, and the Security Detailed: Two-Days Video Message from the President

In a video message released after his detention, the president called the investigation and the warrant “illegal” and said he agreed to go with the law enforcement only to prevent violent confrontation.

The CIO, which is leading a joint investigation on Yoon with the police and the military, beefed up its preparations ahead of the second attempt, mobilizing 3,000 riot police, 1,000 detectives and anti-corruption investigators in their pre-dawn operation. It also issued warnings to the security detail that they too can be arrested for obstructing public duties and, if convicted, lose their job and pensions.

A convoy of presidential vehicles left the residence after two hours of negotiations.