Supporters of President Yoon Suk Yeol gather outside his residential compund in Seoul, Friday, as investigators attempt to enforce a court warrant to detain him over his botched martial law declaration. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Investigators at the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO) called off their attempt to detain President Yoon Suk Yeol, Friday, after hours of confrontation with security service staff and thousands of his supporters, who tried to block their efforts.

Citing safety concerns amid rising tensions, the CIO called off its plan to enforce a court warrant to detain Yoon for his brief imposition of martial law last month.

"We halted the enforcement of the arrest warrant at around 1:30 p.m. due to safety concerns, as it seemed impossible to carry it out amid the confrontation," the CIO stated in a release shortly after retreating. "Follow-up plans will be decided after review. We express serious regret over the suspect's refusal to comply with legally established procedures."

The deadline for the warrant is Monday, putting the CIO in a difficult position as it must decide whether to make another attempt, amid the risk of violent clashes with the defiant president and his supporters.

Yoon, who was impeached by the National Assembly last month, faces insurrection charges among others over his martial law decree, which was lifted by lawmakers only hours later.

He has since ignored repeated summonses from the investigators to appear for questioning.

Supporters of President Yoon Suk Yeol gather outside his residential compound in Seoul, Friday, as investigators attempt to enforce a court warrant to detain him. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Tensions began to escalate early in the morning as investigators attempted to navigate a path blocked by troops under the direction of the Presidential Security Service (PSS) and supporters near Yoon's residential compound in Hannam-dong, central Seoul. Around 2,700 police officers were deployed to maintain order and prevent potential clashes between the investigators and Yoon's supporters.

The investigators presented their warrant to detain the embattled president and search his residence, but were denied entry by PSS chief Park Chong-jun, who cited restrictions to secured areas.

Speaking to reporters after the unsuccessful attempt to detain Yoon, the investigation team, which included members from the CIO, police, and the defense ministry, said it will press charges against the PSS chief for alleged obstruction of justice.

"We told the chief and deputy chief of the PSS to appear to questioning over obstruction of justice by Saturday," an official said.

According to the CIO, the investigators were unable to access the road leading to the presidential residence, which was blocked by 200 troops, PSS staff and about a dozen vehicles.

"About 20 CIO investigators and 80 police officers were attempting to enforce the warrant today. Outnumbered by the opposition, they were unable to reach the residence," a CIO official said, adding that while there were some tussles, there were no serious violent clashes.

A view of the official residence of President Yoon Suk Yeol in Hannam-dong, central Seoul, Friday. Yonhap

Police had warned anyone trying to stop the CIO from executing the warrant would be taken into custody on charges of obstruction of official duties. But no one was detained on such charges, a police official said.

Yoon's legal team insisted that the warrant was invalid as the CIO has no investigative power over insurrection cases and said it cannot be enforced in locations linked to national security.

The team filed an injunction with the Constitutional Court to suspend the warrant, as well as a separate objection to a lower court over the order.

If taken into custody, the president could be held for up to 48 hours for questioning under the existing warrant, which is related to charges of insurrection and abuse of authority. Typically, investigators seek a formal arrest warrant before the 48-hour limit expires to keep suspects in a detention center for serious criminal cases. If approved by the court, they can be held for up to six months.

Yoon was stripped of his presidential powers last month by an Assembly vote to impeach him. His fate now lies with the Constitutional Court, which began deliberations on whether to uphold the impeachment and formally remove him from office or reinstate him. At least six of the current eight justices must vote in favor to oust him.