President Yoon Not Arrested, Prosecutors Questioned By Ombudsman

Yoon Suk Yeol briefly declared martial law in early December during a budget dispute. Now prosecutors have failed to arrest the suspended head of state. What happens next?

South Korea’s law enforcement agency has failed in its attempt to arrest suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol. What happens next? According to Yonhap, one of Yoon’s lawyers announced that he would took legal action against the “invalid” and “illegal” arrest order and now prosecutors are being questioned over illegal financial affiliations payments by an independent ombudsman.

Initially, a military unit prevented investigators from entering the presidential residence, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing the corruption investigation agency. Later, the presidential security service also did not allow the officers to enter, citing “restrictions in secured areas.”

The authorities regret Yoon’s behavior and will now consider further steps, Yonhap reported. The arrest warrant, approved by a court, is valid until Monday.

Protests in front of the office

Even before the action, it had been suspected that the security service could thwart the prosecutors’ plans. Since New Year’s Day, thousands of Yoon’s supporters had protested in front of the President’s office and blocked access for the investigators.

Authorities want to question Yoon about the short-term imposition of martial law a month ago, which plunged the country into a national crisis. So far, he has ignored three summonses from law enforcement.

Defense announces measures

Meanwhile, according to Yonhap, one of Yoon’s lawyers announced that he would take legal action against the “invalid” and “illegal” arrest order. The defense has already tried to obtain an injunction from the Constitutional Court against the arrest order on charges of abuse of power and sedition, which a court had previously approved.

According to Yonhap, an operation by investigators on the weekend could be fraught with uncertainty, as more people might stand in their way. If the operation were to take place on Monday, however, there might not be enough time due to the approaching deadline, it said.