South Korean police have called off an attempt to arrest suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol after a tense six-hour standoff with security forces.
The military and Yoon’s security service formed a human barricade and used vehicles to block the arrest team’s access, according to local news outlet Yonhap.
Yoon is under investigation for alleged abuse of power and inciting insurrection following his attempt to impose martial law in early December.
The controversial move, though short-lived, triggered a political crisis that led to Yoon’s impeachment by an opposition-led parliament and his suspension from office.
Earlier this week, a Seoul court issued an arrest warrant for Yoon after he failed to respond to three summonses for questioning.
Had the arrest succeeded, Yoon would have been the first sitting president in South Korea’s history to be detained.
On Friday morning, dozens of police vans lined the street outside Yoon’s residence in central Seoul.
At around 08:00 local time (23:00 GMT), a combined team of police officers and members of the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) advanced toward the compound.
Initially numbering 20, the arrest team quickly grew to about 150 members, though they remained outnumbered by Yoon’s security detail and military personnel.
While some members of the team managed to enter the compound, they faced a prolonged standoff with security forces still tasked with protecting Yoon, despite his suspension, and with a military unit responsible for Seoul’s defense.
At one point Yoon’s security team engaged in a “confrontation” with the investgating officers, an official with Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff told AFP.
“We’ve determined that the arrest is practically impossible,” said the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO), which has been investigating Yoon’s short-lived martial law declaration last month.
Yoon’s “refusal of the legal process” is “deeply regrettable”, the CIO said, adding that next steps will be decided after a review.
Yoon’s supporters, who have been camped out in front of the presidential residence for days, cheered in song and dance as the suspension was announced. “We won!” they chanted.
The CIO said that concern for the safety of the team on the ground was another factor in their decision to call off the attempted arrest.