Yoon to be arrested by Jan 6, probe team says

SEOUL — South Korean investigators said on Wednesday they would execute an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk-yeol over his declaration of martial law by the deadline of Monday, as the impeached leader's supporters rallied outside his residence.

Supporters and opponents of Yoon, who was suspended from office last month, have been camping outside the compound where he has been holed up for weeks, fending off investigators' efforts to question him.

The Corruption Investigation Office requested the warrant after Yoon failed to report for questioning a third time, but it has been unclear whether they could execute it as the Presidential Security Service has previously refused to comply with search warrants.

CIO chief Oh Dong-woon said on Wednesday the warrant would be executed "within the deadline", which is on Monday, Jan 6.

"We aim for a smooth process without major disturbances, but we are also coordinating to mobilize police and personnel in preparation," he told reporters.

He also warned that anyone trying to block authorities from arresting Yoon could themselves face prosecution.

"We consider actions such as setting up various barricades and locking iron gates to resist the execution of our arrest warrant as obstruction of official duties."

Anyone doing this "could be prosecuted under charges of abuse of authority, interfering with the exercise of rights and obstruction of official duties by special means", he added.

Yoon's legal team has filed for an injunction to block the warrant and claimed on Wednesday the arrest order was "an unlawful and invalid act", the president's lawyer Yoon Kab-keun said in a statement.

Senior aides resign

Yoon has been stripped of his presidential duties by parliament and faces criminal charges of insurrection, which could result in life imprisonment or even the death penalty.

On Wednesday, the majority of Yoon's senior aides, including his chief of staff and special advisers, all tendered their resignations to acting President Choi Sang-mok — who rejected them, calling instead for unity.

The presidential aides had repeatedly expressed their intent to step down in the wake of Yoon's botched attempt to declare martial law on Dec 3, but their resignations have not been accepted, said a presidential official, who declined to be identified owing to political sensitivities.

The resignations were a show of discontent over Choi's decision to appoint two new judges to the Constitutional Court hearing Yoon's impeachment. It brought the total number of justices to eight in the nine-member court. Any decision in the Yoon case will require the agreement of at least six judges.

Finance Minister Choi assumed the role of acting president on Friday after the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who had been acting president since Dec 14 when Yoon was suspended from power.

Agencies Via Xinhua