SEOUL (Reuters) – Authorities were on their way on Friday to execute an arrest warrant for ousted South Korean President Yeon Suk-yeol, Yonhap News Agency reported, as a crowd of demonstrators confronted police outside his residence and vowed to prevent any attempt.
Yoon is under criminal investigation for attempting to impose martial law for a short period on December 3. The arrest would be unprecedented for the current South Korean president.
Yonhap reported that officials from the Senior Officials Corruption Investigation Office (CIO), which leads a joint team of investigators including police and prosecutors, left their headquarters to execute the arrest warrant.
YTN reported that about 2,800 police were mobilized in preparation for executing the arrest warrant.
It was not clear exactly how the police would make the arrest and whether the Presidential Security Service, which blocked investigators' access with a search warrant to Yoon's office and official residence, would try to prevent it.
About 100 protesters gathered in the pre-dawn hours near his residence, amid local media reports that investigating authorities would soon try to enforce an arrest warrant approved Tuesday after Yoon refused a summons to appear.
One of them was heard telling the others, “We have to stop them with our lives.” About ten demonstrators tried to prevent a group of police officers at the entrance to a pedestrian bridge.
