Authorities in South Korea Make New Attempt to Arrest President Yoon

seoul - The South Korean anti-corruption agency (CIO) is currently making a new attempt to detain suspended president Yoon Suk-yeol, according to Yonhap news agency.

The CIO investigators' vehicles are parked outside Yoon's official residence. The president's lawyers are reportedly on site. Yoon's party members are said to be forming a human chain to prevent an arrest. South Korea has never arrested a sitting president.

Yonhap also reports that thousands of Yoon's supporters have gathered at his residence in Seoul, despite it being nighttime. They are chanting slogans including "illegal order" and carrying South Korean and American flags. South Korean media previously reported that a new arrest attempt would likely occur at the end of the night (local time).

Yoon has been staying in the presidential palace for weeks, where he is protected by presidential security. The initial attempt to arrest Yoon failed due to the presence of Yoon's security guards and supporters. Security has erected barricades around the residence in recent days.

The arrest warrant was issued by the court after Yoon ignored three summonses in the emergency powers investigation. This is now the second arrest warrant, as the first one expired. The warrant allows Yoon to be detained for 48 hours.

In early December, the president declared a military emergency unexpectedly as an unprecedented measure against the opposition. He lifted the state of emergency under pressure from parliament. Eleven days later, parliament passed a motion to impeach Yoon. The president has been suspended pending a decision from the Constitutional Court on whether Yoon should step down or remain in office.