Chains are seen to have been added to a gate of a barbed-wire fence leading to the official residence of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul on Jan. 8, 2025, one day after investigators led by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials were granted an extension of a warrant to detain Yoon over his short-lived imposition of martial law. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jan. 8 (Korea Bizwire) – Police said Wednesday they are tracking President Yoon Suk Yeol’s location amid rumors he may have fled from his residence while facing the threat of arrest over his short-lived imposition of martial law.
“We cannot specifically disclose President Yoon’s location,” a police official told Yonhap News Agency. “We continue to track his location.”
Yoon is believed to have been largely holed up at his official residence in central Seoul since the National Assembly impeached him on Dec. 14 over his failed martial law bid earlier that month.
Police confirmed he was home last Friday when investigators tried to execute a warrant to detain him before withdrawing five hours later amid a standoff with presidential security staff, according to sources. He was home at least until early this week, they said.
Rumors that he may have fled were sparked Tuesday by Oh Dong-woon, chief of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, who told lawmakers during a parliamentary session that he had heard nothing specific about whether Yoon remained home.
When asked if Yoon could have fled, he answered, “We’re thinking about various possibilities.”
In an interview with KBS radio Wednesday, Rep. Ahn Gyu-back of the main opposition Democratic Party claimed he had information Yoon has already left the residence and is hiding in a “third location.”
“I received a tip-off,” Ahn said. “I heard yesterday the police have also made a similar location assessment.”
(Yonhap)
