The botched arrest pushes South Korea into uncharted territory

The confrontation began long before dawn. By the time we arrived in the dark, an army of police had pushed back angry supporters of ousted President Yoon Suk-yeol, who had set up camp for the night in hopes of stopping his arrest. Some of those I spoke to wept, others screamed at what they feared was about to unfold.

When it dawned, the first officers ran up to the house, but they were immediately thwarted by a wall of soldiers defending the complex. Reinforcements arrived, but they could not help. The door to Yoon’s house remained tightly closed, his security team kept the police out.

The investigators waited for several hours, the crowd outside grew increasingly restless – until, after a series of scuffles between the police and security forces, they decided their mission was futile and gave up.

This is completely uncharted territory for South Korea. This is the first time a sitting president has faced arrest, so there’s no rule book to follow, but the current situation is strange nonetheless.

When Yoon was impeached three weeks ago, he was allegedly stripped of power. So the fact that law enforcement officers attempt to make an arrest — for which they have a legal warrant — only to be blocked by Yuna’s security forces raises serious and uncomfortable questions about who’s in charge.

Investigators said they declined to arrest Yoon not only because it seemed impossible, but also because they were concerned for their own safety. They said 200 soldiers and security officers joined hands to form a human wall to block the entrance to the presidential residence, some with weapons.

Perhaps this is part of Yoon’s plan, using a system he himself developed. Before he declared martial law last month – a plan we now know he had drawn up months earlier – he surrounded himself with close friends and loyalists, putting them in positions of power.

One of those people is his current head of security, who took up the job in September.

But this situation, although alarming, is not entirely surprising. Yoon has refused to cooperate with authorities in this investigation, ignoring all requests to come in for questioning.

It got to the point where the investigators felt they had no choice but to deliver him by force. He is under investigation for one of the most serious political crimes: inciting rebellion, which is punishable by life imprisonment or death.

Yoon also spurred on his supporters, who have been gathering outside his residence every day since the arrest warrant was issued. He sent them a letter on New Year’s Day thanking them for their “hard work” protecting him and the country.

Although most people in South Korea are upset and angry with Yun’s decision to impose martial law, some of his supporters remain loyal. Some even set up camp overnight in the freezing cold to try to prevent the police from reaching his home.

Many told me this morning that they were willing to die to protect Yoon, and echoed the same baseless conspiracy theories that Yoon himself has been spouting – that last year’s election was rigged and the country was infiltrated by pro-North Korean forces. They held placards that read “Stop Theft,” a slogan they chanted over and over.

Attention is now also focused on South Korea’s acting president, Choi Sang-mok, and how far his powers extend; can and should he fire the president’s security chief and force the command to allow his arrest. Opponents say the police should arrest anyone who stands in their way.

While investigators have until Jan. 6 to retry that arrest — that is, when the warrant expires — it’s unlikely they’ll go in again without changing strategies and coordinating with the security team in advance. They will want to avoid a repeat of today’s failure.

They also have to contend with crowds of Yoon’s supporters who now feel victorious and empowered. They believe that the great responsibility for the fall of the authorities lies on them. “We won, we did it,” they sing all day long.

As their confidence grows, so do their numbers, especially as the weekend approaches.