Sawt Falasteen - South Korean investigators abandon arrest of President Yoon

Yoon, who has already been suspended from duty by lawmakers, would become the first sitting president in South Korean history to be arrested if the warrant is carried out.

The president, who issued a bungled declaration on December 3 that shook the vibrant East Asian democracy and briefly lurched it back to the dark days of military rule, faces imprisonment or, at worst, the death penalty.

"Regarding the execution of the arrest warrant today, it was determined that the execution was effectively impossible due to the ongoing standoff," the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO), probing Yoon over his martial law decree, said in a statement.

"Concern for the safety of personnel on-site led to the decision to halt" the arrest attempt, the statement said of the confrontation with Yoon's presidential security service and its military unit.

Around 20 investigators and 80 police officers were heavily outnumbered by around 200 soldiers and security personnel linking arms to block their way after entering the presidential compound, a CIO official told a briefing.

"I understand there were minor and major physical altercations," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, adding that buses and cars were also parked to block their way.

Negotiations between the two sides ultimately faltered and the investigators decided to leave for their team's safety, although another execution of the warrant could take place after a review, the official said.

The deadline for the warrant is Monday, leaving it in limbo with just a few days remaining and Yoon defiant, vowing this week to "fight" authorities trying to question him.

Yoon's security service -- which still protects him as the country's sitting head of state -- has previously blocked attempted police raids of the presidential office.

The president himself has ignored three rounds of summons from investigators, prompting them to seek the warrant.

Yoon's legal team -- who raced to the residence and whom AFP saw were allowed inside -- said police had no right to execute the warrant at a "first-class military secret protection facility".

"We express deep regret regarding today's unlawful and invalid execution of arrest and search warrants," the president's lawyer Yoon Kab-keun said in a statement.

"I issue a stern warning and strongly urge the CIO to comply with the law."

Dozens of police buses and thousands of uniformed police had lined the street outside the compound in central Seoul to prevent clashes after rival camps faced off there on Thursday, Yonhap news agency reported.

- All-night prayers -

CIO officials had wanted to arrest Yoon for questioning, after which he could have been held for up to 48 hours on the existing warrant.

A handful of Yoon's die-hard supporters, who include far-right YouTube personalities and evangelical Christian preachers, had camped outside his compound in the bitter cold, some holding all-night prayer sessions.

They chanted "Illegal warrant is invalid" as police and media gathered outside the residence.

Lee Hye-sook, a 57-year-old Yoon supporter, said protesters were trying to stop opposition figures from "attempting to transform our country into a socialist state, similar to North Korea".

Yoon has doubled down on claims the opposition was in league with South Korea's communist enemies.

His legal team had already tried to block the arrest warrant at the constitutional court.

CIO head Oh Dong-woon had warned that anyone trying to stop authorities from arresting Yoon could face prosecution.

Legal experts said the refusal to comply with the court-ordered warrant was concerning.

"A president too is a figure equal under the law and that he did not comply with a warrant issued legally by a court is truly a lamentable circumstance," said Lee Jong-soo, a law professor at Yonsei University.

South Korean officials have previously failed to execute similar arrest warrants for lawmakers -- in 2000 and 2004 -- due to party members and supporters blocking police for the seven days the warrants were valid.

Yoon also faces a separate Constitutional Court hearing that will confirm or reject his impeachment by parliament.

In rare comments about the South's politics, North Korean state media said on Friday Seoul was in "political chaos" over attempts to arrest Yoon.

H.Darwish--SF-PST