South Koreans take to streets as impeached president ignores arrest warrent
Thousands of South Koreans have staged protests as impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol refuses to comply with a court-issued arrest warrant.
South Koreans from rival groups supporting and opposing the president began gathering in the capital for demonstrations on Saturday.
They were gathering in sub-zero conditions along major roads in the center of Seoul – either demanding Yoon’s arrest or calling for his impeachment to be declared invalid.
The nation has been in turmoil for weeks after Yoon directed soldiers to storm parliament, where they unsuccessfully tried to prevent lawmakers from voting down martial law. Since being impeached, Yoon has battened down the hatches.
“Despite our efforts, he continues to evade accountability, and both the police and the CIO (Corruption Investigation Office) have really failed to act decisively,” said anti-Yoon protester and student Kim Min-ji, 25. “It is crucial for us to raise our voices until he is removed from office.”
“He is someone who was elected by the people and represents our country. Saving Yoon is the way to save our nation,” said Su Yo-hahn, 71, a Yoon supporter. Su added that the sitting president’s martial law declaration which he alleged was to root out anti-state forces had “valid reasons”.
In the meantime, prosecutors prepare for another attempt to arrest the suspended president barricaded in his hilltop home in Seoul.
Yoon, if arrested, would be the first sitting South Korean president to be taken into custody. He faces criminal charges of insurrection, one of a few crimes not subject to presidential immunity, meaning he could be sentenced to prison or even the death penalty.
The presidential security chief resigned on Friday as he faced questioning by police over why his forces had blocked Yoon’s arrest last week.
Yoon is inside his official “fortress” residence, which he has not left for weeks. The presidential security service has fortified the grounds with barbed wire and rows of vehicles are blocking the roads.
South Korea’s acting leader, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, has called on lawmakers to reach an agreement to launch an independent investigation and resolve the crisis.
Choi, however, has been accused by critics of approving Yoon’s refusal to comply with the court-issued arrest warrant under the guise of neutrality.
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