Anyone blocking Yoon's arrest could face prosecution — investigators
"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," the head of the anti-corruption office says.
Demonstrators opposing the court's approval of an arrest warrant for impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol protest outside his official residence in Seoul / Photo: Reuters
South Korean investigators have warned that anyone trying to block them from arresting Yoon Suk-yeol could face prosecution, as supporters of the impeached president gathered outside his residence in Seoul.
"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," Oh Dong-woon, chief of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, said on Wednesday, adding anyone doing this "could be prosecuted."
He also said they would execute their arrest warrant for Yoon within a January 6 deadline.
The warrant will be executed "within the deadline," he said. "We aim for a smooth process without major disturbances, but we are also coordinating to mobilise police."
'Illegal and invalid'
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, over his short-lived martial law.
Yoon's legal team described the arrest order as "illegal and invalid" and filed an injunction to nullify it.
It is the first time in the country's history that a sitting president has been subject to an arrest warrant.
Yoon's defence minister, police chief and several top military commanders have already been arrested over their roles in the martial law enactment.
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