The South Korean police are demanding the execution of the arrest warrant against the accused president. From Reuters
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea’s anti-corruption agency said on Monday it had asked police to take over the execution of an arrest warrant for accused President Yoon Suk Yeol. The request comes after a failed attempt to execute an arrest warrant on Friday, following a tense standoff with presidential guards who formed a human chain to deny investigators access.
A joint team of investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) and the police are investigating allegations that Yoon orchestrated the uprising with his short-lived declaration of martial law.
The CIO sent a notice to the police demanding the takeover, the anti-corruption agency said in a statement to reporters.
The move comes amid frustration from Yoon’s critics at the CIO for failing to execute the arrest warrant, which is due to expire at midnight (3pm GMT) on Monday.
A police official told Yonhap News Agency that they would “review the law internally” at the request of the CIO.
Yoon’s lawyers have argued that the anti-corruption force leading his criminal investigation does not have the authority under South Korean law to investigate cases involving insurgency allegations.
According to Yonhap, the Seoul Western District Court on Sunday rejected the preliminary injunction filed by Yoon’s legal team seeking to invalidate the arrest warrants against the president and the search of his official residence.
Amid ongoing political tensions, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is visiting South Korea this week, where he will meet senior government officials to reaffirm the alliance with Seoul, according to the US State Department.
His visit comes after Yoon’s short-lived declaration of martial law last month plunged South Korea into political chaos, prompting rare rebukes from officials in Washington.
The CIO is an independent agency created in January 2021 to investigate high-ranking officials, including the president and their family members. However, she does not have the authority to prosecute a president.
Instead, once the questioning is complete, the law requires the case to be referred to the prosecutor for action, including filing charges.
