South Korean investigators head to Seoul in attempt to detain impeached Prez

South Koreas anticorruption agency on Friday dispatched investigators to execute a warrant to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol as hundreds of his supporters are gathered at his residence in Seoul vowing to block their approach Investigators of the Corruption Investigation Office for HighRanking Officials were seen loading boxes into several vehicles before leaving their building in the city of Gwacheon early in the morning The office didnt immediately confirm how many investigators were sentA Seoul court issued a warrant for Yoons detention after he evaded multiple requests to appear for questioning and blocked searches of his office in Seoul hindering an investigation into whether his shortlived power grab on December 3 amounted to rebellion Thousands of police officers were gathered at Yoons residence There were no immediate reports of clashes with protestersIf Yoon is detained the anticorruption agency will have 48 hours to investigate him and either request a warrant for his formal arrest or release him Yoons defense minister police chief and several top military commanders have already been arrested over their roles in the martial law enactment It wasnt clear whether the president would cooperate with authorities trying to detain him Yoon in a defiant New Years message to conservative supporters rallying outside said he will fight to the end against antistate forcesYoons lawyers have argued the courts detainment warrant is invalid claiming that the anticorruption agency lacks the legal authority to investigate rebellion charges They also accuse the court of bypassing a law that says locations potentially linked to military secrets cannot be seized or searched without the consent of the person in chargeOh Dongwoon the anticorruption agencys chief prosecutor has indicated that police forces might be deployed if Yoons security service resists the detention attempt But Yoons legal team issued a statement on Thursday warning that any attempt by the anticorruption agency to use police units for his detention would exceed their legal authority The lawyers said police officers could face arrest by either the presidential security service or any citizens if they try to detain Yoon They didnt elaborate further on the claimSouth Korean law permits anyone to make an arrest to stop an active crime and critics accused Yoon of inciting his supporters to obstruct attempts to detain him Yoon Kapkeun the presidents lawyer filed a challenge with the Seoul Western District Court on Thursday to block both the detention warrant for Yoon Suk Yeol and a related search warrant for his residence The lawyer argued that both warrants violate criminal laws and the constitutionThe liberal opposition Democratic Party which drove the legislative vote that impeached Yoon Suk Yeol on December 14 over his imposition of martial law accused the president of trying to mobilise his supporters to block his detention and called for law enforcement authorities to execute the warrant immediatelyBraving subfreezing temperatures thousands of Yoons supporters rallied for hours near his residence on Thursday amid a heavy police presence waving South Korean and American flags while chanting Nullify the impeachment and We will protect President Yoon Suk Yeol Officers removed some protesters who laid down on a road leading to the entrance of Yoons residence but there were no immediate reports of major clashesSome experts believe the anticorruption agency which is leading a joint investigation with police and military authorities would not risk clashing with Yoons security service which has said it will provide security to Yoon in accordance with the law The office may instead issue another summons for Yoon to appear for questioning if they are not able to execute the detainment warrant by January 6Yoons presidential powers were suspended following a National Assembly vote to impeach him on December 14 over his imposition of martial law which lasted only hours but has triggered weeks of political turmoil halted highlevel diplomacy and rattled financial markets Yoons fate now lies with the Constitutional Court which has begun deliberations on whether to uphold the impeachment and formally remove Yoon from office or reinstate himTo formally end Yoons presidency at least six justices on the ninemember Constitutional Court must vote in favour The National Assembly voted last week to also impeach Prime Minister Han Ducksoo who became acting president after Yoons powers were suspended over his reluctance to fill three Constitutional Court vacancies ahead of the courts review of Yoons caseFacing growing pressure the new acting president Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sangmok appointed two new justices on Tuesday which possibly increased the chances of the court upholding Yoons impeachment Cho Hanchang one of the newly appointed justices said Thursday that he began his job with a heavy heart Jeong Gyeseon the other new justice expressed hope that the remaining vacancy would be filledYoons imposition of martial law ended after only six hours when the National Assembly voted 1900 to lift it despite attempts by heavily armed soldiers to prevent them from voting Yoon has defended his martial law decree as a necessary act of governance portraying it as a temporary warning against the Democratic Party which he has described as an antistate force obstructing his agenda with its legislative majorityThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever