The authorities of South Korea This Friday they suspended the execution of the arrest warrant against the dismissed president Yoon Suk Yeolafter a tense confrontation of several hours between the investigators of the Commission of Inquiry on Senior Public Officials (CIO) and the presidential security personnel at the official residence.
The CIO announced that the execution of the arrest warrant was stopped at 1:30 p.m. (local time) due to the “continued confrontation” with security agents and concern for the safety of personnel at the scene.
”We have determined that execution of the arrest warrant would be virtually impossible due to the continued confrontation“, indicated the organization in a statement collected by the South Korean agency Yonhap.
The researchers of the CIO They had arrived early in the morning to arrest Yoonaccused of trying to establish martial law after his dismissal on December 3.
However, resistance by the military unit in charge of guarding the presidential residencebacked by the Presidential Security Service, blocked your entrance.
According to sources cited by Yonhapabout 200 security agents formed a human wall, while more than a dozen vehicles prevented access. The confrontation included “large and small physical fights,” and the situation led to CIO to suspend the operation.
In the vicinity of the residence, thousands of supporters of Yoon They gathered to express their support for the deposed president and oppose his arrest, calling the court order “illegal and invalid.” The protesters chanted slogans such as “illegal court order, completely invalid” and “arrest the CIO”.
Despite the police warning to arrest those who obstruct compliance with the order, no arrests were recorded during the day, according to a police official.
The legal team of Yoon He described the arrest warrants as “illegal and invalid” and filed a court appeal to stop their execution. For its part, the CIO requested the arrest warrant after Yoon ignored repeated summonses to appear in connection with his attempt to institute martial law last December.
The CIO He has until next Monday to execute the order and will decide his next steps after analyzing the situation. In its statement, the organization expressed its “deep regret” for the refusal of Yoon to comply with legal procedures.
It is important to mention that on Wednesday the deposed president, in a message addressed to his followers gathered outside his home, Yoon He promised to fight “to the end” against “anti-state forces.”
”Due to internal and external forces infringing on its sovereignty and the activities of anti-state groups, South Korea is now in danger“, he said before thanking them for their support and insisting that “a free democracy, where each citizen is the owner, not the state or a party, will prevail.”
(With information from Europa Press and AFP)
