South Korea Turmoil
More forces are expected to join the operation to take Yoon Suk Yeol in for questioning after the last attempt was foiled by his large security team.
Choe Sang-Hun and Victoria Kim
Choe Sang-Hun reported from Seoul.
Criminal investigators armed with a court-issued warrant began a second, much-anticipated operation early Wednesdayto detain the impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol, for questioning in connection with insurrection charges that stem from his short-lived imposition of martial law last month.
Police buses started massing before dawn outside the hilltop presidential compound where Mr. Yoon has been holed up since he was impeached — and suspended from office — by the National Assembly on Dec. 14. He was the first South Korean leader to place his country under military rule since the country began democratizing in the late 1980s.
Investigators and police officers gathered at the main gate of Mr. Yoon’s residence before dawn broke on Wednesday, but faced a barricade of buses and presidential security guards blocking the gate leading up to Mr. Yoon’s residence. The standoff was a repeat of when the investigators first visited his residence to serve a detention warrant on Jan. 3. Then, they were outnumbered by presidential security agents and had to beat an embarrassing retreat after a standoff that lasted five and a half hours.
The investigators have regrouped since their initial failed attempt to detain Mr. Yoon, renewing their warrant and saying they would bring in more police officers the next time they visited his residence. Police officials said they planned to deploy 1,000 officers, including units specializing in targeting drug and organized crime gangs, and vowed to arrest any people who obstructed their way.
On Wednesday morning, with Mr. Yoon’s lawyers, lawmakers from his party and personnel from the presidential security service standing outside the compound gates, it appeared that he and his supporters were gearing up to resist the renewed effort for his detention.
We are having trouble retrieving the article content.
Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and your Times account, or for all of The Times.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Want all of The Times? .
Source: www.nytimes.com