So who is still protecting Mr Yoon Suk Yeol and why? AFP takes a look at what we know:
WHAT HAPPENED?
Investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office issued a warrant to detain Mr Yoon for questioning over his Dec 3 declaration of martial law.
The judge specifically granted permission for them to enter a sensitive facility, as the presidential residence is classified.
But once inside, investigators said the Presidential Security Service (PSS) used minibuses and cars to block the driveway, then hundreds of PSS officers linked hands and formed a human chain to stop them.
Investigators pulled out, saying they feared for their safety.
"It is extremely worrying" because it was a stand-off between different branches of government, said Dr Vladimir Tikhonov, a Korean studies professor at the University of Oslo.
The showdown was "so far bloodless, but nobody guarantees that it will be continuously bloodless", he added.
WHAT IS THE PSS?
This story is from the January 04, 2025 edition of The Straits Times.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January 04, 2025 edition of The Straits Times.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Passengers say Turkish Airlines flights have bedbugs
Shortly after boarding her Turkish Airlines flight from Johannesburg to Istanbul in March, Ms Patience Titcombe from Phoenix noticed a small bug crawling on her seat when she got up to use the restroom.
Actor Ben Yeo shutters restaurant after incurring $1 million loss in two years
Local actor and F&B entrepreneur Ben Yeo is shutting down the high-end modern Chinese restaurant he founded, Tan Xiang Yuan, after two years.
Director Jeff Baena elevated dark themes with humour in his works
American director and screenwriter Jeff Baena, who co-wrote the dark comedy I Heart Huckabees (2004) and directed films including Life After Beth (2014) and Horse Girl (2020), died on Jan. 3 at a residence in Los Angeles. He was 47.
Squid Game star denies ties with South Korea ruling party's former leader
Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae has distanced himself from the party of South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol after a photo of him with the party's ex-leader resurfaced online, according to Korean media.
Japanese cast dominates as Shogun breaks new ground
Comeback stories and Asian representation at the awards show celebrating the best in film and TV
A toast to Switzerland
The country is adopting a sip-and-stay approach to spread the word on its best-kept secret – wines
Saving the mysterious African manatee in Cameroon
Ever since his first hard-won sightings of African manatees, award-winning marine biologist Aristide Takoukam Kamla has been devoted to protecting the little-known and at-risk aquatic mammals.
'CRAZY' CHUA TURNS PRO
S'pore triathlete aims to win SEA Games, qualify for Asian Games and Olympics
The fall in sport is cruel, inevitable and hard to digest
In sport, this is the guarantee. Falls will be hard. The boxer sent to the canvas. The rugby winger brought to earth. The gymnast slipping off the high bar. And the hero tumbling from his pedestal.
AMORIM WANTS SAME 'MENTALITY EVERY DAY'
United need to replicate the fortitude shown in draw at Liverpool to become a better side