South Korean investigators made a fresh attempt to arrest impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday over a failed martial law bid, but were involved in clashes after being blocked by his guards.
Yoon has resisted arrest since a short-lived December 3 power grab plunged the country into its worst political crisis in decades, after he directed soldiers to storm parliament in an unsuccessful attempt to stop lawmakers voting down his move.
The former star prosecutor, who has already been suspended from duty by lawmakers, would become the first sitting president in South Korean history to be arrested if the court-ordered warrant is carried out.
On a morning of high drama, officials probing Yoon presented the warrant at his official residence, but were blocked from arresting him by his presidential guards, the Yonhap news agency reported.
“The execution of the presidential arrest warrant has begun,” acting President Choi Sang-mok said in a statement.
“This situation is a crucial moment for maintaining order and the rule of law in South Korea.”
