January 13, 2025
SEOUL – The ongoing political turmoil shows no sign of abating, with President Yoon Suk Yeol still unwilling to cooperate with the investigation into his short-lived imposition of martial law that plunged the nation into chaos last month.
A lawyer for Yoon said Wednesday that the impeached president would stand trial if he is formally indicted or an arrest warrant is issued by a court. The move came as the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials and the police are poised to make a second attempt to detain Yoon amid worsening public opinion over the first attempt’s unseemly standoff at the presidential residence last week.
Yoon’s position against the CIO-led warrant, however, has not fundamentally changed. The lawyer stressed that Yoon cannot comply with an investigation based on what he called an “invalid” detention warrant issued by the Seoul Western District Court. He argued that jurisdiction belongs to the Seoul Central District Court.
The argument laid out by Yoon’s legal team simply means that authorities’ execution of a detention order and related legal procedures should follow specific conditions set by the suspect. It is an incredibly novel — and preposterous — idea since no one in South Korea, regardless of their social, economic or political position, can set such conditions regarding a detention warrant and refuse to cooperate with a probe.
In fact, nobody can set up a human shield composed of the Presidential Security Service to block the execution of the detention warrant as Yoon did for over five hours last Friday — a standoff between state agencies that was widely reported around the world and that compromised the image of South Korea again.
Yoon’s move is interpreted as a tactic aimed at delaying the execution of the detention warrant. But his stubborn refusal to fully cooperate with the investigation makes things worse as a potentially dangerous physical clash is feared to break out, involving CIO officials, the police, the Presidential Security Service and protesters.
In preparation for a second attempt to detain Yoon, the Presidential Security Service fortified the president’s residence with buses and barbed wire, turning it into a sort of fortress.
The police are reportedly considering using SWAT teams, armored vehicles and even helicopters to get into the presidential residence. But even if the police pull off the strategy successfully, it seems difficult for authorities to arrest and transport Yoon for questioning in consideration of a group of Yoon’s supporters gathered in front of the presidential residence.
Yoon’s insistence on responding to investigations only under circumstances of his choosing is tantamount to condoning a potential clash between the police and security forces. Is the administration prepared for scenes of riot police breaching barricades and helicopters hovering over the presidential residence to be broadcast live across the globe?
Even if the CIO seeks an arrest warrant instead of a detention warrant, Yoon’s stance suggests he will find another excuse to avoid compliance. In the eyes of critics, Yoon appears solely focused on his own safety while turning his residence into a fortress and pushing young police officers and soldiers to the brink of physical confrontation.
Most Koreans who have witnessed the series of shocking and shameful political developments sparked by Yoon’s martial law declaration believe that only by directly addressing the situation himself can Yoon prevent further national division and avert a full-blown crisis.
Yet, Yoon has failed to uphold his earlier pledge that he “will avoid neither legal nor political responsibility,” and rumors have even emerged that he may have fled his residence. The presidential office denied such speculation Wednesday, but the fact that such suspicions surfaced is regrettable.
Yoon must cease imposing conditions on law enforcement and willingly submit to the judicial process. Anything less will only deepen the wounds of a fractured nation.