The failed attempt to arrest South Korea’s president is explained

South Korean police called off an attempt to arrest ousted President Yoon Suk-yeol after a six-hour standoff with his security team.

Yun is under investigation for abuse of power and inciting sedition when he tried to impose martial law in early December.

The move, though brief, led to a political crisis as Yun was impeached by an opposition-led parliament and removed from office.

Court in Seoul issued a warrant for his arrest earlier this week after he ignored three subpoenas to appear for questioning.

Since early Friday morning, dozens of police vans lined the street outside Yoon’s residence in central Seoul.

Around 8:00 a.m. local time (23:00 GMT) an arrest team made up of police officers and CIO members headed towards the compound.

The operation started with a team of 20 people but quickly grew to around 150 people. Even then they were outnumbered.

While about half of the team managed to get inside, they were locked for hours in a standoff with security officials – who are still in charge of protecting Yoon despite being stripped of his powers – and a military unit responsible for protecting the Seoul city.

The military and security officers formed a wall and used vehicles to block the path of the arresting team, local news outlet Yonhap reported.

At one point, the security team got into a “confrontation with the CIO at the presidential residence,” an official from Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff told AFP.

“We have determined that an arrest is virtually impossible,” said the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO), which is investigating Yun’s short-lived declaration of martial law last month.

“Yun’s withdrawal from the lawsuit” is “deeply regrettable,” the CIO said, adding that next steps will be decided after a review.

Yun’s supporters, who have camped outside the presidential residence for days, cheered with song and dance when the shutdown was announced. “We won!” they chanted.

The CIO said concern for the safety of the team on the ground was another factor in their decision to call off the arrest attempt.

This development is not unexpected given Yoon’s insubordination throughout the investigation process.

Experts say that as a former attorney general, Yoon is well aware of the legal loopholes available for his defense.

Investigators have until Jan. 6 to arrest him before the current warrant expires.

That means they may try to arrest Yoon again over the weekend, although that could be a logistical challenge as crowds are likely to grow.

They can also seek a new order and try to detain him again.

Before the attempt was called off, Yun’s security team told the news agency that he had been “in talks” with investigators who wanted access to the president.

Police have opened a criminal case against Yun’s security chief and his deputy and summoned them for questioning, according to Yonhap.

Yun’s legal team was also seen entering the residence shortly after noon local time.

His lawyer Yoon Gab-keun earlier said they would take legal action against the arrest warrant, arguing that investigators did not have the authority to detain him.

Meanwhile, Park Chan-dae, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, criticized Yoon for not sticking to his promise to take legal and political responsibility for his failed attempt at martial law.

“(It was) a complete lie,” Park said, urging the CIO to try again to arrest Yoon today.

The CIO, which has only been in operation for four years, was created in response to public anger against former President Park Geun-hye and her excesses. She was suspended from parliament in December 2016. and removed from office three months later.

However, the scope of the CIO’s jurisdiction has been challenged by other agencies – and its failure to deal with Yoon could be seen as an embarrassing loss.

South Korea has been in political chaos since Yoon’s attempt to impose martial law on December 3.

Days and nights of protest culminated in the opposition-dominated parliament voting to impeach him on December 14, their second attempt to do so.

On Friday, prosecutors also indicted army chief Park Ahn-su, who was named martial law commander during the brief declaration, and special forces commander Kwak Jong-gyun on sedition charges, according to the Seoul-based Yonhap news bulletin. .

They will be tried while in prison.

Additional reporting by Jake Kwon in Seoul