South Korea's anti-corruption agency wants police to execute arrest warrant for president

South Korea's anti-corruption agency on January 6 asked the police to take over the execution of the arrest warrant for impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over the declaration of martial law on December 3, 2024.

South Korea's Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) for Senior Officials made the request in an official letter hours before the arrest warrant expired.

"We are conducting an internal legal review," a police official told Yonhap News Agency.

Unable to get past South Korean presidential security team, investigators stop arrest warrant

However, some sources later told Yonhap that the CIO's letter had sparked complaints within the police that the CIO was trying to push its responsibility, after it carried out the arrest warrant in a lackadaisical manner last week.

The CIO stopped executing an arrest warrant for impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on January 3 after hours of confrontation with the presidential security team at the presidential palace in Seoul.

Police walk near the official residence of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul on January 6.

The CIO has been working with the police and the South Korean Ministry of National Defense 's investigation unit to conduct a joint investigation into Mr. Yoon's brief imposition of martial law on December 3, 2024.

With the arrest warrant set to expire at midnight, the CIO is expected to make a second attempt to arrest Mr. Yoon or request an extension, among other options. The CIO later said it would seek an extension of the arrest warrant for Mr. Yoon, according to Yonhap.

Meanwhile, Mr. Yoon's lawyer has repeatedly said that the arrest warrant for Mr. Yoon is "illegal", pledging to take further legal action against the warrant.

The head of Mr. Yoon's presidential security agency also stressed on January 5 that he would not allow investigators to arrest the impeached president, according to AFP.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/cio-muon-giao-viec-thi-hanh-lenh-bat-ong-yoon-suk-yeol-cho-canh-sat-han-quoc-185250106081702333.htm