South Korean investigators arrived on Wednesday morning local time (Tuesday evening in Poland) outside the presidential residence in Seoul to execute an arrest warrant for ousted President Jun Suk Jeol. Yonhap news agency reported that they attempted to force entry into the property. At the same time, approximately 6,500 Jeol supporters appeared in front of the building.
Investigators who arrived at the former president's residence presented a court arrest warrant issued on January 7. Jun's lawyers held talks with the police for a long time. Just after 5:30 a.m. local time (9:30 p.m. Polish time), officials from the Corruption Bureau (CIO) made a short attempt to force entry into the property, which led to minor scuffles. After a few minutes the situation returned to normal. Earlier, the president's security said that such an attempt at forced entry would be “unlawful.”
At the same time, about 6.5 thousand of Jeol's supporters appeared in front of the building. Acting President Choi Sang-mok said that physical clashes between representatives of government institutions and those gathered cannot be allowed.
Among those gathered in front of the complex where the suspended president has been hiding since December 12 are also dozens of deputies of the ruling People's Power Party, from which Jun comes.
Jun Suk JeolToby Melville – WPA Pool/Getty Images
Arrest warrant for the president
The court issued an arrest warrant on December 31 in connection with the investigation initiated into the case the president introduced martial law in early December.
On Tuesday, Jun Suk Jeol he did not appear at the hearing in the Constitutional Tribunal in the impeachment trial.
Main photo source: Daniel Ceng/Anadolu/Getty Images