Photo: IC

A group of South Korean investigators with the anti-corruption investigative unit left the presidential residence after failing to arrest the impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol on Friday, according to the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), Xinhua News Agency reported.

The Emergency Security Joint Investigation Headquarters announced on Friday that it had booked Park Jong-joon, the head of the bodyguard, on charges of obstructing the execution of an arrest warrant against President Yoon, Maeil Business Newpaper reported.

Earlier, the investigators with the anti-corruption investigative unit have confronted soldiers inside the presidential residence in central Seoul after entering at the main gate and attempted to arrest the impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol, Yonhap News Agency said Friday.

The chief of South Korea's presidential security service has not allowed investigators to search the presidential residence for the execution of a warrant to arrest President Yoon that was issued by a Seoul court earlier this week, multiple media outlets said Friday.

More than 1,000 supporters of President Yoon gathered near the presidential residence on Friday as investigators attempted to detain the impeached president, prompting the police to deploy some 2,700 personnel to prevent potential clashes, according to Yonhap News Agency.

A Seoul court granted the warrant against Yoon on Tuesday on charges of masterminding the short-lived December 3 martial law declaration and abusing his power. Yoon has become the first sitting South Korean president to face arrest, Yonhap reported. The warrant is set to expire on Monday.

The CIO requested the detention warrant after Yoon ignored all three summonses to appear for questioning. The agency also sought a warrant to search the presidential residence. Yoon's defense team has said it cannot accept the detention warrant and called it "illegal and invalid." It filed an objection Thursday to the execution of the detainment warrant, as well as the search warrant, according to Yonhap.

Global Times