South Koreans brave cold to rally for and against president Yoon as arrest deadline nears
As the deadline for the arrest warrants against impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol looms, multiple groups have gathered near his residence amid freezing cold and snow, demonstrating both for and against his arrest on alleged insurrection charges.
Thousands of protesters gathered Sunday in downtown Seoul, near the presidential residence to demand the execution of the warrants and Yoon’s immediate arrest.
“We have to reestablish the foundation of our society by punishing the president who has denied the constitution,” said Yang Kyung-soo, the leader of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), a major labor group that took part in the protests.
On the other side of the political spectrum, Yoon’s supporters held placards reading “We will fight for President Yoon Suk Yeol.”
Yoon has become the first South Korean president to face arrest over his failed attempt to declare martial Law on December 3, 2024.
After declaring martial law, Yoon ordered the military to take over the National Council in order to end the political deadlock in the country.
Despite the military’s presence, South Korean lawmakers swiftly gathered in the National Assembly and overturned the martial law.
In the following days, the National Assembly stripped Yoon of his presidential powers, impeached him, and accused him of “rebellion.”
Later, a Seoul court issued a warrant to detain Yoon and a separate warrant to search the presidential residence. Both warrants expire at midnight on Monday.
On Friday, investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials tried to search the presidential residence and arrest Yoon.
However, the military, the presidential guard, and Yoon’s supporters clashed with the investigators and forced them out of the presidential premises.
“There was a standoff. While we estimated the personnel blocking us to be around 200, there could have been more,” said an official from the Investigation Office, describing the situation as “dangerous.”
The Investigation Office said its investigators had several clashes with the presidential guard and expressed “serious regret about the attitude of the suspect, who did not comply with the legal process.”
According to the Investigation Office, Yoon’s arrest is “virtually impossible” as long as he is protected by the presidential guard.
The agency plans to “strongly demand” that the country’s acting leader, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, instruct the guard to comply with the execution of the warrants.
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