Officials suspend arrest of president Yoon Suk Yeol

South Korean investigators have called off an attempt to arrest ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol after a six-hour standoff with security forces outside his home.

“We have found that the arrest is unlikely,” said the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO), which has been probing Yoon’s claims for some time.

“Consequences will be decided after review,” said the CIO, adding that “Yoon’s refusal” is “very unfortunate”.

Yoon’s supporters, who have spent several days in front of the presidential palace, cheered with songs and dances when the suspension was announced. “We won!” he called.

The CIO said that concern for the safety of the team on the ground was another factor that led them to stop seeking arrests.

Investigators have until January 6 to arrest Yoon before the current warrant expires. They can, however, apply for a new permit and try to re-incarcerate him.

Since early morning, dozens of police cars lined the street outside Yoon’s home in central Seoul.

Around 08:00 local time (23:00 GMT), a construction team made up of police and CIO members marched to the site.

This started with a group of 20 people, but quickly grew to about 150 people.

Although about half of the arrested group managed to get inside, they were locked up for hours in a standoff with the police – who are still responsible for protecting Yoon, despite being stripped of his powers – and the army tasked with protecting the city. in Seoul.

At one point the security team engaged in a “conflict with the CIO at the presidential palace”, an official with the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul told AFP.

Before the trial, Yoon’s security team told a news agency that it was “in talks” with investigators seeking to find the president.

Yoon’s legal team was also seen entering the house shortly after noon local time.

His lawyer Yoon Gab-keun had previously said he would take action against the arrests, which he called “illegal and illegal”.

A Seoul court issued an arrest warrant earlier this week, after Yoon ignored three summonses for questioning in the past two weeks.

On Friday, the opposition also accused Army Chief Park An-su, who was named chief of staff in a brief announcement last month, and Special Forces Chief Kwak Jong-geun, according to a report from Seoul Yonhap.

He should be tried while in prison.