S. Korean investigators seek extension of warrant to arrest Yoon

Anti-graft agency asks police to take over efforts to execute arrest of embattled leader

South Korean investigators will seek an extension of an arrest warrant for impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, an official said on Jan. 6, as an anti-graft agency asked the police to take over efforts to execute the arrest of the embattled leader.

The requests follow a failed attempt to serve the warrant on Jan. 3 following a tense stand-off with Presidential Security Service guards who formed a human chain to block access to Mr. Yoon by the investigators.

Mr. Yoon is under criminal investigation for insurrection over his Dec. 3 short-lived martial law attempt that stunned South Korea and led to the first arrest warrant to be issued by the court for a sitting president.

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) is leading a probe, joined by the police and the prosecutors' office, into allegations that Mr. Yoon masterminded an insurrection with his imposition of martial law.

Mr. Yoon was impeached by Parliament on Dec. 14, 2024, and suspended from presidential duties. The Constitutional Court is trying the case to decide whether to remove him from office permanently or reinstate him.

The CIO sent a notice to the police requesting them to take over the execution of the arrest warrant, the anti-corruption agency said in a statement to reporters. A police official told Reuters they were reviewing the request.