Jamaine Punzalan

An effigy of South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol is seen in a mock prison as protesters take part in a rally calling for Yoon's ouster in front of the Gwanghwamun Gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul on December 21, 2024. Jung Yeon-je, AFP

Article (news)

South Korea's Yoon resists arrest over martial law bid

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17357838045591735608721937AFP__20241221__36R29WN__v1__Preview__SkoreaPoliticsUnrest.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="An effigy of South Korea&#x27;s impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol is seen in a mock prison as protesters take part in a rally calling for Yoon&#x27;s ouster in front of the Gwanghwamun Gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul on December 21, 2024. Jung Yeon-je, AFP"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">An effigy of South Korea&#x27;s impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol is seen in a mock prison as protesters take part in a rally calling for Yoon&#x27;s ouster in front of the Gwanghwamun Gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul on December 21, 2024. <em>Jung Yeon-je, AFP</em><br/><br/></span></span></span></div><p>Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was resisting arrest for a third day on Thursday after vowing to &quot;fight&quot; authorities seeking to question him over his failed martial law bid.</p><p>The embattled leader issued the bungled declaration on December 3 that led to his impeachment and has left him facing arrest, imprisonment or, at worst, the death penalty.</p><p>Supporters and opponents of Yoon have since camped outside his presidential residence, while members of his security team have blocked attempted police raids in a dramatic stand-off.</p><p>Yoon has gone to ground but remained unrepentant as the crisis has rolled on, issuing a defiant message to his base days before a warrant expires on January 6.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2024/12/31/s-korea-court-issues-arrest-warrant-for-impeached-president-yoon-0933">S. Korea court issues arrest warrant for impeached president Yoon</a></div><p>&quot;The Republic of Korea is currently in danger due to internal and external forces threatening its sovereignty, and the activities of anti-state elements,&quot; he said in a statement passed around to protesters, his lawyer Yoon Kab-keun confirmed to AFP.</p><p>&quot;I vow to fight alongside you to the very end to protect this nation,&quot; he added, saying he was watching the hundreds-strong protest Wednesday evening on a YouTube live stream.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2024/12/28/rival-protests-planned-in-south-korea-after-second-leader-impeached-1946">Rival protests planned in South Korea after second leader impeached</a></div><p>The impeached leader remains in the capital Seoul, the lawyer confirmed to AFP.</p><p>Opposition lawmakers were quick to condemn Yoon&#x27;s message as inflammatory, with Democratic Party spokesperson Jo Seoung-lae calling him &quot;delusional&quot; and accusing him of trying to incite clashes.</p><p>Yoon&#x27;s legal team has filed for an injunction to block the warrant and claimed Wednesday that the arrest order was &quot;an unlawful and invalid act&quot;.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2024/12/28/s-korean-prosecutors-say-yoon-authorized-shooting-during-martial-law-bid-1616">S. Korean prosecutors say Yoon authorized &#x27;shooting&#x27; during martial law bid</a></div><p>But Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) chief Oh Dong-woon warned that anyone trying to block authorities from arresting Yoon could themselves face prosecution.</p><p>South Korean officials have previously failed to execute arrest warrants for lawmakers -- in 2000 and 2004 -- due to party members and supporters blocking police for the seven-day period the warrant was valid.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>REFUSED QUESTIONING</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Discussions between prosecutors and police are taking place in the background of a political crisis that initially saw the country briefly lurch back to the dark days of military rule.</p><p>But the martial law order -- which he said was aimed at eliminating &quot;anti-state elements&quot; -- only lasted a few hours.</p><p>Heavily armed troops stormed the building, scaling fences, smashing windows and landing by helicopter, but Yoon was quickly forced into a U-turn after a night of protests.</p><p>He was then stripped of his presidential duties by parliament and now faces criminal charges of insurrection that could result in life imprisonment or even the death penalty.</p><p>Yoon has since refused summonses for questioning three times and doubled down on claims the opposition was in league with South Korea&#x27;s communist enemies.</p><p>In the wake of his refusal, supporters have raced to Seoul to support him.</p><p>As night fell on Wednesday, pro-Yoon protesters spewed vitriol at police while waving glowsticks and anti-impeachment placards.</p><p>A constitutional court will rule whether to uphold Yoon&#x27;s impeachment.</p><p>The turmoil deepened late last week when Yoon&#x27;s replacement, Han Duck-soo, was also impeached by parliament for failing to sign bills for investigations into his predecessor.</p><p>Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok has been installed as acting president and pledged to do all he can to end the political upheaval.</p><p>He has since decided to appoint two new judges to the constitutional court hearing Yoon&#x27;s impeachment -- meeting a key demand of the opposition, but branded an overstepping of his powers by Yoon&#x27;s staff.</p><p>Choi took office on Friday and found himself immediately thrust into handling a disaster, after a Jeju Air plane crashed on Sunday, claiming 179 lives.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/1/1/south-korea-completes-identification-of-all-179-victims-of-jeju-air-plane-crash-1407">South Korea completes identification of all 179 victims of Jeju Air plane crash</a><br/><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2024/12/30/thai-father-s-grief-over-daughter-s-death-in-jeju-air-1633">&#x27;She will never come back’: Thai father grieves over daughter’s death in Jeju Air crash</a></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

<p>Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was resisting arrest for a third day on Thursday after vowing to "fight" authorities seeking to question him over his failed martial law bid.</p>

Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was resisting arrest for a third day on Thursday after vowing to "fight" authorities seeking to question him over his failed martial law bid.