South Korean police raided the office of former president Yoon Suk Yeol and his security element on Wednesday (April 16, 2025), as a part of a spiralling prison probe into the impeached chief.
Yoon declared martial legislation in December, sending armed troopers to parliament earlier than reversing course. He was rapidly impeached by lawmakers, however resisted arrest for weeks in a prison probe.
After a prolonged standoff, by which his security element performed a key position, he turned South Korea’s first sitting head of State to be arrested in January. He was later launched on procedural grounds.
Police mentioned that they’d “initiated the execution of a search and seizure warrant at the presidential office and the presidential residence complex.”
Police seized encrypted telephone servers and raided the office of Yoon’s presidential security element, plus his chief of security’s home, in what they mentioned was a part of a probe into “alleged obstruction of an arrest warrant execution”.
Yoon spent weeks holed up in his compound in January, protected by members of the Presidential Security Service who had remained loyal to him.
His guards had put in barbed wire and barricades on the residence, forcing tons of of police officers and investigators to make use of ladders and scale perimeter partitions to succeed in the principle constructing.
At the time, he was booked on expenses of obstruction, with police saying this week that “in principle” an investigation can be crucial.
Police additionally seized CCTV footage from the presidential office, as a part of a separate probe into former inside minister Lee Sang-min, they mentioned.
Yoon was in court docket Monday for the primary official day of his prison trial on riot expenses.
Yoon denied that he dedicated riot. His subsequent listening to is scheduled for April 21, with consultants saying the trial is prone to go on for months.
Published – April 16, 2025 10:11 am IST
