The conflict began long before dawn. By the time we arrived after dark, an army of police pushed back angry supporters of suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol, who had camped out overnight in hopes of preventing his arrest. Some of those I talked to wept, others lamented what they feared would happen.
When it dawned, the first officers ran to the house, but were immediately stopped – they were blocked by a wall of soldiers protecting the property. Reinforcements arrived but could not help. The door to Yoon’s house remained firmly closed, his security team refusing the officers entry.
The investigators waited for several hours, and the crowds outside grew increasingly agitated – until, after a series of scuffles between police and security officials, they decided their mission was futile and gave up.
This is completely uncharted territory for South Korea. This is the first time a sitting president has ever faced arrest, so there’s no rulebook to follow – but the current situation is still staggering.
When Yoon was impeached three weeks ago, he was reportedly stripped of his power. So for law enforcement officials to attempt to make an arrest – for which they have a legal warrant – only to be blocked by Yoon’s security team raises serious and uncomfortable questions about who’s in charge here.
Investigating officers said they gave up trying to arrest Yoon not only because it seemed impossible, but also because they were concerned about their own safety. They said 200 soldiers and security officers joined hands, forming a human wall to block the entrance to the presidential residence, some carrying weapons.
This is probably part of Yoon’s plan, using a system he designed himself. Before declaring martial law last month – a plan we now know he hatched months earlier – he surrounded himself with close friends and loyalists, injecting them into positions of power.
One of those people is the current head of his security team, who took over in September.
Although alarming, this situation is not entirely surprising. Yoon has refused to cooperate with authorities in this investigation, ignoring every request to come in for questioning.
So things got to the point where investigators felt they had no choice but to take him into custody by force. Yoon is under investigation for one of the most serious political crimes in existence: inciting sedition, which is punishable by life imprisonment or death.
Yoon also encouraged his supporters, who have gathered outside his residence every day since the arrest warrant was issued. On New Year’s Day, he sent them a letter thanking them for “working hard” to defend him and the country.
Although most people in South Korea are upset and angry about Yoon’s decision to impose martial law, some of his supporters remain loyal. Some even camped overnight, in freezing temperatures, to prevent the police from reaching his home.
Many have told me this morning that they are willing to die to protect Yoon and repeat the same baseless conspiracy theories that Yoon himself put forward – that last year’s election was rigged and that the country was infiltrated by pro-North Korean forces. They held signs that read “stop the theft,” a slogan they chanted over and over.
Attention is now also on the acting president of South Korea, Choi Sang-mok, and how far his powers extend; whether he can and should fire the president’s security chief and force the team to allow his arrest. The opposition party says the police should arrest anyone who gets in their way.
Although investigators have until Jan. 6 to try to make another arrest — that’s when the warrant expires — it’s unlikely they’ll re-enter without a change of strategy or prior agreement with the security team. They will want to avoid a repeat of today’s failure.
They also have to contend with Yoon’s hordes of supporters, who now feel victorious and empowered. They believe that they are largely responsible for the fall of the government. “We won, we succeeded,” was sung throughout the afternoon.
As their confidence grows, so will their numbers, especially as the weekend approaches.
