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The stand-off began lengthy earlier than daybreak. By the point we arrived at the hours of darkness, a military of police had pushed again suspended president Yoon Suk Yeol’s offended supporters, who’d camped out in a single day hoping to cease his arrest. A few of these I spoke to had been crying, others wailing, at what they feared was about to unfold.
As daybreak broke, the primary officers ran as much as the home, however had been immediately thwarted – blocked by a wall of troopers defending the compound. Reinforcements got here, however couldn’t assist. The doorways to Yoon’s home stayed tightly sealed, his safety workforce refusing the cops entry.
For a number of hours the investigators waited, the crowds outdoors rising extra agitated – till, after a sequence of scuffles between the police and safety officers, they determined their mission was futile, and gave up.
That is completely uncharted territory for South Korea. It’s the first time a sitting president has ever confronted arrest, so there isn’t any rule guide to comply with – however the present state of affairs is nonetheless astonishing.
When Yoon was impeached three weeks in the past, he was supposedly stripped of his energy. So to have regulation enforcement officers attempting to hold out an arrest – which they’ve authorized warrant for – solely to be blocked by Yoon’s safety workforce raises severe and uncomfortable questions on who’s in cost right here.
The investigating officers mentioned they deserted efforts to arrest Yoon not solely as a result of it appeared inconceivable, however as a result of they had been involved for his or her security. They mentioned 200 troopers and safety officers linked arms, forming a human wall to dam the doorway to the presidential residence, with some carrying weapons.
