What to know about the siege outside South Korea's presidential compound
TOKYO (AP) — A standoff between rival government forces outside the presidential compound in South Korea has been a startling development, even for observers used to the country's famously rough and tumble politics.
For weeks, impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol has remained in his compound and refused to respond to detention and search warrants. Scuffles broke out late last week as dozens of investigators were stopped from entering the compound by hundreds of presidential security guards and a barricade.
The spectacle followed Yoon's astonishing decision last month to impose martial law during a seemingly routine impasse with the opposition, which dominates parliament.
Here's a closer view of recent events as well as South Korea's tempestuous political history, which has seen presidents toppled, arrested, jailed and shamed as millions have taken to the streets in protest.
What's the latest?
A government agency dedicated to fighting corruption is asking police to take the lead in efforts to detain Yoon. Agency investigators failed last week to bring Yoon into custody following a standoff with his security service.
The thinking is that the police are better suited to get Yoon out of his compound than the anti-corruption agency, which has faced claims of incompetence after its failure Friday.
Court warrants have been issued to detain Yoon and to search his residence.
Yoon’s legal team says the agency’s move to get police to execute the detainment warrant is illegal. Yoon has been refusing to appear for questioning over his short-lived martial law decree on Dec. 3.
He has described his power grab as a necessary act of governance against a liberal opposition that has bogged down his agenda with its legislative majority. He has vowed to “fight to the end” against efforts to...