CIO reviewing 'multiple measures' following failed attempt to arrest Yoon

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CIO reviewing 'multiple measures' following failed attempt to arrest Yoon

Published: 05 Jan. 2025, 18:52 Updated: 05 Jan. 2025, 19:15

CHO JUNG-WOO
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Military personnel from the Capital Defense Command block investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials near the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, central Seoul, on Jan. 3. [NEWS1]

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) said Sunday it is considering all options following its failed attempt to arrest impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived martial law declaration last month, including reattempting an arrest or seeking a bench warrant.

"We are reviewing multiple measures," a CIO official told reporters on condition of anonymity, explaining that seeking a bench warrant, reattempting to execute the warrant and extending the warrant's validity are the three options under consideration.

The warrant remains valid until midnight Monday.

On the same day, the Seoul Western District Court dismissed an injunction filed by Yoon’s legal defense team to suspend the warrants to detain Yoon and search the presidential residence.

Yoon’s attorney, Yoon Gap-geun, said they would “review reappealing” the case to the Supreme Court.

On Friday, investigators from the CIO and police suspended their attempt to take Yoon into custody from his residence in Hannam-dong, central Seoul, after a standoff lasting around five and a half hours. The effort was blocked by the Presidential Security Service (PSS) and military personnel.

The arrest warrant, approved by the Seoul Western District Court, accuses Yoon of masterminding the Dec. 3 martial law declaration, plotting insurrection and abusing presidential authority.

Investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) leave the presidential residence in Yongsan District, central Seoul, after failing to arrest impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on Jan. 3. [YONHAP]

Following the failed arrest, Yoon’s attorney said Sunday that they would file complaints against the CIO chief and police officers over the attempted detention. They additionally plan to lodge complaints against National Police Agency Deputy Commissioner Lee Ho-young and acting Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho.

In a statement, Yoon’s legal team accused the CIO chief of overstepping legal authority by ordering the police’s special investigative unit to execute what they called an “unconstitutional and unlawful warrant.”

The statement further claimed that around 150 CIO and police officials forcibly entered the main entrance of the presidential residence, a high-security military facility, and injured PSS personnel who were blocking the warrant execution. Complaints will be filed against these officials for obstructing special official duties and violating the Protection of Military Bases and Installations Act.

Police block protesters calling for the arrest of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol near the presidential residence in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Jan. 4. [NEWS1]

The CIO said in a notice on Friday that it halted the warrant execution around 1:30 p.m. due to “concerns over personnel safety,” adding that the standoff made it “impossible to execute the warrant.” The agency expressed regret over Yoon's attitude of “refusing to comply with legal procedures” and said it is reviewing its next steps.

The investigative team departed the CIO headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi, at 6:14 a.m. and arrived at the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan District, at 7:21 a.m. They exited their vehicles and bypassed the barricade surrounding the residence, which was opened at 8:02 a.m.

However, investigators and police were stopped about 200 meters (656 feet) from the residence by around 200 personnel from the PSS and military, according to a CIO official who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity. At least 10 vehicles, including buses and passenger cars, were used to block their path.

The official added that physical altercations occurred during the standoff and that some PSS personnel carried firearms. However, the PSS personnel involved in the altercations did not possess weapons, the CIO official said.

Observing large numbers of personnel securing the area, the CIO decided to end the arrest attempt for safety reasons.

According to the official, none of the dispatched personnel could meet Yoon or confirm his presence at the residence.

Protesters opposing the arrest and impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol rally near the presidential residence in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Jan. 5, a day before the warrant expires. [YONHAP]

Following the arrest attempt, the joint investigative headquarters — comprised of the CIO, police and the Defense Ministry — booked the chief and deputy chief of the PSS over accusations of special obstruction of public duty and summoned them for questioning by Saturday.

However, both refused to appear, saying they could not “be vacant from their duties even for a brief time during a critical security period.”

Their refusal to appear for questioning also comes as the arrest warrant remains valid until Monday, with the possibility of the CIO attempting to execute it again over the weekend.

The police resummoned PSS chief Park Chong-jun by 10 a.m. Tuesday and deputy chief Kim Seong-hoon by 10 a.m. Wednesday.

Though the CIO had requested cooperation from the PSS, the agency cited the Presidential Security Act to deny a residence search.

The act mandates that the PSS “take charge of the security service for the president," requiring them to protect Yoon until his official removal from office.

Presidential Security Service chief Park Chong-jun delivers a public address in a video released to the press on Jan. 5. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

In a public address Sunday, PSS chief Park stressed the agency’s legal duty to safeguard the president.

“The PSS does not intend to obstruct enforcement of the law by an investigative agency,” Park said, adding that the actions of the security service were unrelated to political ideology.

Park reiterated that despite the impeachment motion passed by the National Assembly, Yoon remains the sitting president and must be protected under the law.

The PSS chief added that he ensured that no violence or physical altercations occurred during the standoff between the investigators and the security service officials.

Presidential Chief of Staff Chung Jin-suk also affirmed on the same day that the PSS’s current priority was protecting Yoon.

According to the Defense Ministry on Saturday, the acting defense minister said it was “not right” to have military personnel block the CIO’s execution of the arrest warrant.

The military personnel confronted by the CIO near the residence were from the 55th Security Brigade of the Army's Capital Defense Command. The PSS has command authority over the unit.

The acting minister also ordered the military unit commander to avoid physical altercations with the police and asked the PSS to operate the security brigade's personnel as designated.

Around 150 personnel, including 30 CIO officials and 120 police officers, were involved in the warrant execution attempt. An additional 2,700 police personnel were deployed to manage rallies and control crowds near the presidential residence.

Regarding the execution of the warrant, the CIO on Saturday afternoon asked acting President Choi Sang-mok to demand the PSS's cooperation in Yoon’s arrest. It marked the CIO's second official request to the acting president, who also serves as deputy prime minister and finance minister. Choi had not replied to the official request as of Sunday afternoon, according to the CIO.

On Sunday, the acting president said in a Finance Ministry notice to the press that “no people or public officials should be injured during the enforcement of the law," without referring to any specific incidents.

Protesters demanding the arrest and impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol rally near the presidential residence in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Jan. 5, a day before the arrest warrant expires. [YONHAP]

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Seoul despite subzero temperatures, rallying both for or against Yoon’s arrest.

On Sunday morning, around 5,000 protesters supporting Yoon’s arrest gathered in Yongsan District, central Seoul, according to organizers.

On Saturday night, up to 45,000 people rallied for Yoon’s arrest, while 38,000 demonstrated in support of the embattled president.

Scuffles between protesters and police led to the arrest of two members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) on Saturday for allegedly assaulting officers. The KCTU claimed one of its members was injured and criticized the police for blocking their preregistered rally.

Due to the ongoing rallies, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced temporary bus detours through Monday, with subway trains potentially skipping certain stations if necessary.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [[email protected]]