Standoff at the Blue House as Seoul prosecutors fail to raid South Korea president's office
Officials turned away prosecutors trying to search the president’s mountainside compound
South Korean prosecutors investigating a massive corruption scandal engulfing impeached President Park Geun-hye attempted to raid the presidential Blue House on Friday, sparking a standoff with security guards.
It was the first time investigators had sought to search the top security complex for evidence since Park was impeached by parliament in December over the influence-peddling and power abuse scandal.
A platoon of prosecutors wielding a court search warrant and their assistants were immediately stopped by security guards as they tried to enter the premises.
They have no legal means to enforce the search at the Blue House unless allowed in by the president, as the complex is considered a top military security zone, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said.
A presidential spokesman said the Blue House was profoundly opposed to the search but was willing to present documents and other materials prosecutors wanted to look over.
Negotiations were continuing hours after the prosecution team arrived.