Official statements from the South Korean government or credible news sources

Court Rejects Yoon's Objection as Arrest Warrant Nears Expiry Amid Protests

Jan 5, 2025, 12:47 PM

South Korean investigators have made multiple attempts to arrest impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol following his suspension after a failed attempt to impose martial law in December. Efforts to detain Yoon have been met with resistance from his presidential security team, which blocked prosecutors during a six-hour standoff at his residence in Seoul. The Anti-Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO) has requested that Acting President Choi Sang-mok order the presidential security service to comply with the arrest warrant. As the warrant's expiration looms on Monday night, thousands of protesters have braved heavy snowfall in Seoul, rallying both for and against Yoon's arrest. On Sunday, a South Korean court dismissed Yoon's objection to the execution of the detention warrant. Investigators have handed over the execution of the warrant to the police and requested an extension of the warrant's execution period in an effort to detain Yoon before it expires.