South Korea protesters rally for, against Yoon arrest amid growing political crisis
SEOUL – Thousands braved heavy snow in Seoul on Sunday to rally for and against arresting impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, as South Korea’s political crisis appeared headed toward another high-stakes confrontation.
With an arrest warrant against Yoon for alleged insurrection expiring at midnight (1500 GMT) on Monday, multiple groups held demonstrations near his official residence, some urging his immediate arrest and others protesting against it.
Yoon became the country’s first sitting president to face arrest over his botched attempt to declare martial law on Dec. 3, which triggered political chaos engulfing Asia’s fourth-largest economy and a key U.S. ally.
The conservative president was impeached by parliament and is suspended from official duties while the Constitutional Court decides whether to reinstate or remove him. On Friday, criminal investigators were blocked from arresting him by Yoon’s presidential security service and military troops in a six-hour standoff.
The Seoul Western District Court on Sunday rejected a complaint from Yoon’s lawyers that the arrest warrant was illegal and invalid, Yonhap news agency reported. Calls to the court seeking comment went unanswered.
Yoon’s lawyers have said the warrant was unconstitutional because the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO), which leads his criminal investigation, has no authority under South Korean law to investigate any case involving insurrection allegations.
In this regard, the lawyers said in a statement they would report CIO chief Oh Dong-woon and the investigation team to prosecutors for what they called illegally executing the warrant, including by mobilising police when the anti-graft body has no authority to do so.
The CIO did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Some of Sunday’s protesters had gathered overnight in downtown Seoul, where temperatures fell below minus 5 degrees Celsius (23 degrees Fahrenheit). More than 6 cm (2.4 inches) of snow has piled up in parts of the capital, which was under a heavy snow warning.
