On Sunday, thousands of people in Seoul faced heavy snowfall to take part in rallies both supporting and opposing the arrest of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol.
It looks like South Korea’s political situation is gearing up for yet another intense showdown. With an arrest warrant against Yoon for alleged insurrection set to expire at midnight (1500 GMT) on Monday, various groups gathered near his official residence—some calling for his immediate arrest while others protested against it.
This is a significant moment since Yoon is the first sitting president in South Korea to be at risk of arrest, following a failed attempt to declare martial law back on December 3, which led to political turmoil in Asia’s fourth-largest economy and a crucial U.S. ally.
He’s currently suspended from his official duties after being impeached by parliament, and now it’s up to the Constitutional Court to decide whether he’ll be reinstated or removed entirely.
Just last Friday, there was quite a standoff lasting six hours when criminal investigators attempted to arrest him but were blocked by Yoon’s presidential security team and military personnel.
On Sunday, the Seoul Western District Court dismissed claims from Yoon’s lawyers that the arrest warrant was illegal or invalid, according to Yonhap news agency. Attempts to get a comment from the court went unanswered.
Yoon’s legal team argues that the warrant is unconstitutional because the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO), which is handling his case, supposedly doesn’t have the authority under South Korean law to investigate insurrection-related allegations.
A major issue.
On Sunday, the lawyers announced that they plan to report Oh Dong-woon, the head of the CIO, along with the investigation team to prosecutors.
They claim these officials executed a warrant illegally by involving police, even though the anti-graft agency lacks that authority.
The CIO hasn’t responded yet to requests for comments on this matter. Seok Dong-hyeon, a lawyer advising President Yoon, shared his thoughts on Facebook, saying it’s tough to determine whether any legal actions taken are legitimate.
He warned that if there’s an issue with how law enforcement is handling cases against the current president, it could lead to serious problems.
Meanwhile, some protesters camped out overnight in downtown Seoul despite frigid temperatures dropping below minus 5 degrees Celsius (23 degrees Fahrenheit), and over 6 cm (2.4 inches) of snow accumulating as a heavy snow warning was in place.
Yang Kyung-soo, who leads the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) and participated in the protests, stated that it’s essential to restore societal foundations by holding accountable a president who disregards the constitution. He insisted on bringing down criminal Yoon Suk Yeol and demanded his arrest as soon as possible.
On the flip side, supporters of Yoon were seen nearby waving signs like We will fight for President Yoon Suk Yeol and Stop the Steal, echoing sentiments from Donald Trump’s supporters after his 2020 election loss.
Large demonstrations took place on Saturday as well, gathering tens of thousands and leading police to attempt dispersing KCTU members blocking roads and causing traffic disruptions; two individuals were reportedly detained for allegedly assaulting officers during this chaos.
On Saturday too, the CIO urged acting President Choi Sang-mok—who also serves as finance minister—to direct security services to follow through with executing the arrest warrant.