South Korea’s impeached president resists arrest over martial law bid

SEOUL, South Korea —

Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol remained defiant at his residence resisting arrest for a third day on Thursday after vowing to “fight” against authorities who want to question him over his failed attempt to impose martial law.

The embattled leader issued a scathing statement on December 3 that led to his impeachment and left him facing arrest, prison or, at worst, the death penalty.

Yoon’s supporters and opponents have since camped outside his presidential residence, while members of his security team have blocked attempted police raids in a dramatic standoff.

Yoon went to ground but remained unrepentant as the crisis progressed, sending a defiant message to his base days before the arrest warrant was set to expire on January 6.

“The Republic of Korea is currently in danger due to internal and external forces that threaten its sovereignty and the activities of anti-state elements,” he said in a statement delivered to protesters, his lawyer Yoon Kab-keun confirmed to AFP.

“I swear I will fight with you to the very end to protect this nation,” he added, saying he watched the protest Wednesday night in front of hundreds of people live on YouTube.

Yoon Kab-keun confirmed to AFP that the impeached leader remained in the presidential compound.

“The president is in the (official presidential) residence,” he said.

Opposition lawmakers quickly denounced Yoon Suk Yeol’s defiant message as inflammatory, with Democratic Party spokesman Jo Seoung-lae calling it a “deception” and accusing him of trying to incite conflict.

The suspended president’s legal team filed for an injunction to block the warrant and described Wednesday’s arrest warrant as an “illegal and invalid act.”

– Blocked attacks –

Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) chief Oh Dong-woon warned that anyone trying to prevent authorities from arresting Yoon Suk Yeol could face prosecution.

Along with the summons, a Seoul court issued a search warrant for his official residence and other locations, a CIO official told AFP.

The official position of the presidential security service was that the warrants were handled in accordance with due process.

It remains unclear how many guards were stationed with him, but they blocked searches of his office and residence.

They cited two articles in South Korea’s Criminal Procedure Code that prohibit seizure from locations where official secrets are stored, without the consent of the person responsible.

South Korean officials previously failed to execute similar arrest warrants for lawmakers — in 2000 and 2004 — because party members and supporters blocked police during the seven-day period the warrants were valid.

However, discussions between prosecutors and police over Yoon Suk Yeol’s arrest are taking place against the backdrop of a political crisis that has briefly returned the country to the dark days of military rule.

Refused questioning

The state of emergency order, which Yoon Suk Yeol said was aimed at eliminating “anti-state elements,” lasted only a few hours.

Armed troops stormed the national assembly building, raising fences, smashing windows and landing in a helicopter, but the president was quickly forced to make a U-turn after lawmakers rushed to parliament to vote him out.

He was then stripped of his presidential duties by parliament and now faces criminal charges of sedition.

Yoon Suk Yeol has since declined calls for questioning three times and has doubled down on claims that the opposition is in league with South Korea’s communist enemies.

Supporters raced to Seoul to support him after his refusal, hurling vitriol at police and waving anti-impeachment placards.

The Constitutional Court will decide whether to support his impeachment.

The turmoil deepened late last week when his replacement, Han Duck-soo, was also impeached by parliament for failing to sign legislation to investigate his predecessor.

Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok was appointed acting president and vowed to do everything he could to end the political upheaval.

He has since decided to appoint two new judges to the constitutional court, a key demand of the opposition, but has been criticized by Yoon Suk Yeol’s staff for overstepping his authority.