Yoon Suk Yeol defiant as arrest deadline looms | Global News Avenue

South Korea’s suspended president Yoon Seok-yeol remains defiant in his newly fortified residence, with an arrest warrant targeting him brief period of martial law It’s due Monday.

Yin’s security team prevented investigators from arresting him on Friday and over the weekend installed razor wire and cordoned off the compound with buses to prevent further attempts to arrest him.

Yoon had repeatedly ignored summonses to appear for questioning on charges of insurrection and abuse of power before investigators showed up at his home, but their operation was called off after a six-hour standoff with presidential security services.

Investigators may try to extend the warrant. They told the BBC they had asked police to enforce it in the hope their efforts would have a bigger impact.

Public anger has grown in recent weeks, with thousands of protesters braving heavy snow over the weekend to support or oppose Yin.

South Korea has been in crisis over the past month since Yoon Eun-hye attempted to impose martial law, citing threats from North Korea and “anti-national forces.” The fallout continues as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits Seoul to seek to stabilize relations ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration as president.

Time is running out for the investigators leading Yin’s criminal case.

Yin’s lawyers claim the warrant for his arrest is “illegal” because anti-corruption investigators have no authority to oversee a case as serious as the insurrection.

The presidential security team cited this as a reason to prevent Yoon’s arrest, in addition to the fact that Yoon remains the current president until the Constitutional Court rules on his impeachment.

“For the Ministry of Public Security, which has the absolute safety of the president as its top priority, complying with the execution of the arrest warrant amid the ongoing legal dispute is tantamount to abandoning its duties,” security chief Park Jung-jun said on Sunday.

Mr Park has denied accusations that his group acted as Yoon’s “private militia”.

Yin’s attorney filed a complaint with investigators Monday about the attempted arrest, saying Yin was “effectively detained at his residence.”

They also filed for an injunction against the warrant, but that was denied by the court, then said they were considering appealing the decision.

Meanwhile, acting President Choi Sang-mok has rejected opposition calls to fire key security officials who obstructed the arrests.

The BBC understands that opposition MPs have asked investigators to try again to arrest Yoon but “more firmly and with sufficient means”.

Investigators can also apply for a new detention order, which must be approved by a judge. This would allow Yin to be detained for up to 20 days, while the arrest warrant only allows him to be detained for 48 hours.

But it seems unlikely that investigators or police will make an arrest if circumstances or their methods don’t change.

As seen on Friday, they are likely to be blocked again by the presidential security service, which formed a “human wall” to protect Yoon. He himself has vowed to “fight to the end” to divide public opinion and galvanize his supporters, who have been demonstrating outside his home for days.

A tense confrontation also Urgent question asked On the robustness and effectiveness of South Korea’s political and legal institutions.

The situation also has ramifications beyond domestic politics.

Until last month, the Biden administration had heaped praise on Mr. Yun, pleased with his willingness to work with Washington to counter security threats posed by North Korea and China. The United States has put a lot of effort into helping South Korea repair its tense relations with Japan so the three countries can work together to resolve these issues.

It comes at a difficult time for the two allies as Blinken is on a visit to Seoul where he will meet South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol on Monday.

Yin did not tell the United States about his plans to impose martial law, meaning Washington had no chance to dissuade him and was unprepared for the chaos that would ensue.

Blinken doesn’t want to be affected by the current political situation. Instead, after Biden’s term ends, he will want to focus on maintaining trilateral cooperation between Seoul, Washington and Tokyo.

Blinken told a joint news conference on Monday that the United States has “full confidence” in South Korea’s institutions and reiterated the U.S. government’s “unwavering support for the people of South Korea as they work tirelessly to preserve these institutions.”

“Over the past four decades, South Korea has written one of the most powerful and inspiring democratic stories in the world,” Blinken said.

South Korea’s democracy has been tested in recent weeks, just as American democracy has faced challenges throughout our history. But your response is a demonstration of your democratic resilience. “

But it is difficult to separate the domestic situation from the geopolitical situation. South Korea may still be months away from electing a new president, and the leader is likely looking to break with Yoon’s foreign policy.

Trump, who will be in the White House in two weeks, will also pursue his own agenda.

Additional reporting by Hosu Lee and Leehyun Choi in Seoul