ISLAMABAD: South Korea’s anti-corruption investigative agency, Monday, sought an extension of the arrest warrant for impeached President Yoon Suk, following a botched arrest attempt.
According to Xinhua News, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO) decided to request the extension of the warrant later in the day after entrusting the National Office of Investigation (NOI) with the task of executing the warrant on Sunday.
The CIO was quoted as saying it would keep the authority to investigate and entrust the NOI with the authority to execute the warrant.
The anti-corruption investigative unit along with the police have investigated Yoon’s martial law imposition together with the defence ministry’s investigation headquarters.
Failure to arrest
The two law-enforcement agencies tried to arrest the impeached president in the presidential residence on January 3, however, they failed to carry out the arrest as the presidential security service made a human chain and did not let them arrest the president, Xinhua reported.
Yoon’s party and his supporters argue that the CIO does not have jurisdiction to investigate the president for such charges.
Nonetheless, the Seoul Western District Court entrusted the CIO with the presidential arrest warrant.
Bypassing authority
The opposition camp labelled it as bypassing the corresponding authority.
South Korea’s presidential security service chief vowed he would not let the president be arrested.
The chief said he must keep the president safe. If he is arrested under his guard, it will be like a dereliction of duty and an abandonment of presidential security.
The impeachment motion was presented in the National Assembly on December 14, 2024. It then was delivered to the constitutional court to deliberate it for up to 180 days.
This kept Yoon’s presidential power in suspension.
