South Korea braces for ‘worst-case scenarios’ ahead of Yoon impeachment ruling
SEOUL – South Korean prosecutors will pursue President Yoon Suk Yeol’s conviction for insurrection despite a court decision ordering the release of the impeached leader from prison, the head of the prosecutors’ office said on Monday.
Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung said he respected the weekend court ruling but did not agree with its assessment that the indictment filing was past the legally allowed expiry time, which the court said made Yoon’s detention while on trial illegal.
“I’ve directed that the prosecution makes arguments on various disputes during trial, and we’ll do everything we can to pursue this indictment,” he told reporters when asked whether the court ruling meant it was likely to drop the case.
Yoon has been on criminal trial since February 20 over allegations he led an insurrection by declaring martial law on December 3. He lifted the martial law decree after about six hours.
His lawyers had filed a motion to cancel his detention and said Friday’s ruling showed the case against Yoon was politically motivated and had no legal justification.
The embattled leader walked out of a detention centre on Saturday, about a week short of two months after being arrested.
He was impeached by parliament and remains suspended from power. The Constitutional Court is expected to decide in the coming days whether to overturn the impeachment and reinstate him or remove him from office permanently.
The decision by the Seoul Central District Court on Friday to cancel Yoon’s arrest warrant rather than allowing the automatic extension of his detention during his trial drew mixed reactions from the public and political parties.
Separately, police will be out in force, and subway stations and at least one school will be closed over safety concerns, as both supporters and opponents of Yoon are expected to turn out in large numbers, with recent protests gathering tens of thousands.
“We are setting up plans considering the worst-case scenarios,” Lee Ho-young, Acting Commissioner General of the National Police Agency, told reporters.
Police officers can use pepper spray or batons in case of violence similar to what happened during a rampage by Yoon supporters on a court building in January, Lee added.
During the court hearings so far, rings of police officers and vehicles have surrounded gatherings of thousands of Yoon supporters.
“Security has to be tighter than ever, as you can imagine how precarious this situation can get,” a police official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. “We have to be on alert at the highest level, like when the Constitutional Court handed down the ruling on President Park Geun-hye.”
Police also may shut down gas stations near the court for the day of Yoon’s impeachment ruling, the official said.
