S. Korean investigators leave presidential residence after failing to arrest Yoon

SEOUL -- 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.

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) said the continued confrontation virtually made it impossible to execute the arrest warrant against Yoon, which was issued by a Seoul court on Tuesday.

The CIO noted that it stopped the execution at about 1:30 p.m. local time (0430 GMT) over concerns about the safety of investigators at the scene, expressing deep regret over the attitude of Yoon who refused to comply with legal procedures.

The investigative unit added that it will decide on future measures after relevant reviews.

A group of CIO prosecutors and investigators attempted to arrest the impeached president over his martial law imposition in the presidential residence in central Seoul on Friday, but after confronting the presidential security service agents, they had to stop proceeding with the arrest warrant.