SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea's anti-corruption agency said on Monday it had asked police to take over the execution of an arrest warrant for ousted President Yeon Suk-yul. The request comes after a failed attempt to execute an arrest warrant on Friday following a tense confrontation with the presidential guard, who formed a human chain to prevent investigators from arriving.
A joint team of investigators from the Chief Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) and the police are investigating allegations that Yoon masterminded the rebellion by imposing martial law for a short period.
The anti-corruption agency said in a statement to reporters that the IT director had sent a notice to the police requesting the takeover.
The move comes amid frustration among Yoon's critics towards the IT director for his failure so far to implement the arrest warrant, which is set to expire at midnight on Monday (1500 GMT).
A police official told Yonhap News Agency that they were “reviewing the law internally” at the request of the head of the information department.
Yoon's lawyers argued that the anti-graft force leading his criminal investigation had no authority under South Korean law to investigate any case involving accusations of rebellion.
The Seoul Western District Court on Sunday rejected the injunction filed by Leon's legal team seeking to invalidate the warrants for the president's arrest and search of his official residence, Yonhap reported.
Amid ongoing political tensions, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is visiting South Korea this week where he is scheduled to meet with senior government officials to reaffirm the alliance with Seoul, according to the US State Department.
His visit comes after Yoon's declaration of martial law last month plunged South Korea into political chaos, drawing rare criticism from officials in Washington.
The CIO is an independent agency launched in January 2021 to investigate senior officials including the president and their family members, but it does not have the power to prosecute the president.
Instead, the law requires that the case be referred to the Public Prosecutor's Office for any action, including charging, once the interrogation is over.
