South Korean officials abandoned efforts to arrest the impeached president after the standoff

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South Korean investigators have given up efforts to arrest President Yoon Suk Yeol after hours of deadlock at his residence in Seoul.

They have demanded his arrest as part of an investigation into accusations of treason and abuse of power following his failed attempt to impose martial law last month.

Investigators from the independent anti-corruption agency and police officers passed by a military unit guarding Yoon’s compound in central Seoul early Friday morning. But the head of the Presidential Security Service did not allow them to search Yoon’s residence.

“The arrest warrant cannot be carried out because the situation continues to be deadlocked, so we stopped the execution out of concern for the safety of the public,” the Corruption Investigation Office for senior officials said on Friday. safety of investigators at the scene”. .

“We express our deep regret at the defendant’s uncooperative attitude during the proceedings. We will decide on next steps after review [the situation].”

Yoon’s lawyers called the arrest attempt “illegal and invalid” and said they would take legal action against it.

Hundreds of Yoon supporters rallied outside his residence, shouting “impeachment is invalid” and “protect Yoon.” If caught, Yoon will be the first sitting Korean president to be detained.

Yoon caused a severe political crisis in Korea with a failed attempt to impose martial law. He was impeached by parliament last month, but the move must be approved by the country’s Constitutional Court.

The anti-corruption agency wants to question Yoon about a possible uprising after he reportedly sent troops to the National Assembly to prevent lawmakers from rejecting his short-term martial law decree.

A court issued an arrest warrant this week after Yoon refused to respond to repeated summons for questioning. The order will expire on Monday. If arrested, he will be questioned by investigators and detained for two days before anti-corruption authorities release him or charge him with treason.

The main opposition party said Yoon’s attempt to avoid arrest was tantamount to a “second uprising attempt” and called on acting president Choi Sang-mok to order Yoon’s security force chief to cooperate with the authorities. investigator.

“The law should apply equally to everyone,” said Lee Jae-myung, leader of the opposition Democratic Party. “Not everyone has to be sacrificed for someone else’s selfishness or for the special benefit of a group.”

Under South Korea’s constitution, the president is immune from criminal prosecution unless facing charges of rebellion or treason.

Eight current judges of the Constitutional Court will hold a second hearing on Friday on whether to remove Mr. Yoon from office. The court has until June to issue a ruling, although this deadline could be extended. A minimum of six votes is needed to approve Yoon’s impeachment. If he is removed from office, presidential elections must be held within 60 days.

Political instability has weighed heavily on the Korean economy, which is facing the risk of higher US tariffs from Donald Trump’s second term in the White House. The government on Thursday revised down this year’s growth forecast from 2.2% to 1.8% and is considering a supplementary budget to boost sluggish domestic consumption.

Choi on Friday ordered officials to take measures to stabilize financial markets “quickly and boldly” in the event of heightened volatility.

He said he will continue to meet with senior financial officials including Bank of Korea Governor Rhee Chang-yong every week to monitor the market situation. Rhee on Thursday warned of growing recession risks for South Korea’s economy and said the bank would be “flexible” in the pace of interest rate cuts in the face of “unprecedented” economic and political turmoil. Have”.

South Korea’s stocks and currencies were among the worst-performing markets in Asia last year, partly due to political turmoil, with the Kospi stock index falling nearly 10% and the currency trading won near lowest level since 2009. Kospi index rose 2.3%. on Friday afternoon.

The Democratic Party, which controls parliament, plans to summon Yoon to a congressional hearing on his martial law push next week and seek to appoint special prosecutors to investigate the move. This.