Thriller in South Korea with the arrest of fallen president Yoon Sook Yeol – Soldiers prevented investigators from executing the warrant

Prominent scenes unfolded in , where researchers who tried to arrest the paused president Yoon Sook Yeol at his official residence in Seoul, due to his failed attempt to declare martial law on December 3, were faced in turn with an army unit and then with bodyguards of the head of state who, according to the media, prevented them from executing it in their hands. “The execution of the arrest warrant of South Korea’s president Yoon Sook Yeol began,” the high-person corruption investigation service (CIO) initially said, with a central role in the search for “stability” at the expense of the head of state. CORVERSE However, according to the South Korean national news agency Yonhap, the CIO team was faced within the presidency initially with an army unit and then with Mr Yoon’s bodyguards. Journalists of the French Agency saw earlier CIO prosecutor, Lee Dee-hwan, accompanied by many other persons, crossing the imposing security gate of the official presidential residence around 08:00 (local time); 01:00 Greek time). According to Jonap’s information, researchers were initially “restricted” by a “military unit” to the “inner” of the residence to pass. After they managed to overcome the obstacle, they found themselves “against the president’s security service”, which has already prevented the execution of search warrants at the presidential residence in recent days, with the invocation of state secret legislation. CORVERSE “The execution of the arrest warrant is illegal and invalid,” the president’s lawyer, Yoon Cap-ken, stressed, for his part, announcing a new appeal to justice so as not to proceed, beyond the two he already submitted to question the validity of his own warrant. The head of the CIO, U Dong-un, warned for his part that anyone who attempts to prevent Mr. Yoon’s arrest may in turn be confronted with criminal prosecutions. The arrest of Yoon Sook Yeol, who officially remains head of the state until the Constitutional Court has ruled, at the latest in mid-June, if he would indeed be removed from office, would be an unprecedented development in the history of the state of Asia. CIO has a deadline until Monday, January 6, to execute the arrest warrant issued by a Seoul court at its request. Hundreds of followers of Mr. Yoon, among them known youtubers of the far right, as well as evangelical Christian priests, had camped near the official presidential residence Thursday night to Friday and some organized night prayers for their leader. They rhythmically called his name swinging red light bats, watched by strong police force. “We gathered here today ready to risk our lives,” said Lee Hye-chuk, 57, accusing the opposition of “trying to transform our country into a socialist state similar to North Korea”. According to Jonap, in the area where the presidential residence is located some 2,700 police officers had developed after the clashes of supporters and opponents of the suspended president the night before. Mr. Yoon shocked the country on the night of December 3rd to 4th, when he unexpectedly announced that he declared martial law and sent the army to parliament to silence it. The move reminded many of the black days of the military regimes in South Korea. But he was forced to take the measure back under suffocating pressure from members of parliament, which adopted a resolution demanding it in a dramatic process, as members of it prevented military invasion, as well as thousands of civilians, who took to the streets to protest. The former prosecutor’s star, 64, does not seem to regret anything, despite Parliament’s decision to stop him on 14 December. He swore in a letter to his supporters that he would “fight to the end”. “The Republic of Korea is currently in danger because of internal and external forces threatening its national sovereignty and anti-state elements,” he insisted. The Democratic Party, the main opposition in South Korea, described the views expressed by the president as “parallel”. “A month is completed that the country has turned into an absolute wreck because of the illegal declaration of military law on 3 December, but Mr. Yoon’s message to his followers shows that he has no sense of regret or responsibility,” he judges the current editorial of the big newspaper of the right-wing Dong-A Ilbo. “The behavior of President Yoon, who relies on his most extremist followers, is more than embarrassing. It has reached pathetic levels,” the paper added.