South Korea in political crisis after president resists arrest

South Korean president resists arrest over failed martial law decree, creating political turmoil and unprecedented standoff.

South Korea’s political leadership was in uncharted territory Saturday (January 4, 2025) after the sitting president resisted arrest over a failed martial law decree days before the warrant expires.

In scenes of high drama on Friday (January 3, 2025), Yoon Suk Yeol’s presidential guards and military troops shielded the former star prosecutor from investigators, who called off their arrest attempt citing safety concerns.

The South Korean president was impeached and suspended last month after the bungled martial law declaration – a political move swiftly overturned by parliament – with a separate warrant later issued for his arrest.

“There was a standoff. While we estimated the personnel blocking us to be around 200, there could have been more,” an official from the investigation team said Friday (January 3, 2025) on condition of anonymity.

Mr. Yoon faces criminal charges of insurrection, one of a few crimes not subject to presidential immunity, meaning he could be sentenced to prison or, at worst, the death penalty.

If carried out, the warrant would make Mr. Yoon the first sitting president ever arrested.

Since his impeachment, Mr. Yoon has holed up in his presidential residence in the capital Seoul, where he has refused to emerge for questioning three times.