South Korean Presidential Guard Prevents Arrest of Yoon Suk-yeol

On Friday, January 4, the South Korean Presidential Guard intervened in a tense confrontation, preventing the execution of an arrest warrant for the ousted President Yoon Suk-yeol. This occurred as a group of inspectors and police forces arrived at his residence in Seoul to enforce the judicial order. According to Reuters, Yoon was impeached by the National Assembly of South Korea on December 9 for attempting to impose martial law. In his New Year's message to supporters, he declared that he would 'fight until the end against anti-national forces.' He also described the arrest warrant as 'illegal' in a letter to his supporters. Meanwhile, hundreds of Yoon's supporters gathered outside his residence, stating they would prevent police inspectors from approaching the ousted president's home. This gathering led to clashes with the police, prompting the Presidential Guard to halt the inspectors' entry to avoid escalating tensions. The court has charged Yoon with 'rebellion and abuse of power' following the declaration of martial law on January 3. The arrest warrant was issued after he repeatedly refused to attend interrogation sessions and denied access to his offices. So far, the Minister of Defense, the Chief of Police, and several senior military commanders from Yoon's government have also been arrested due to their roles in enforcing martial law. Yoon's lawyers have rejected the legitimacy of the warrant, stating that the Anti-Corruption Office lacks jurisdiction to handle the rebellion charges. Yoon's political fate now rests with the Constitutional Court, which must decide whether his impeachment was legal and whether to formally remove him from the presidency or restore him to power. This political crisis continues amid a heavy presence of security forces and ongoing gatherings of Yoon's supporters around his residence.