Arrest order against Yoon Suk-yeol, who was impeached for his failed attempt to promulgate martial law, expires this Monday (6)
Hundreds of South Koreans, bundled up against freezing temperatures and snow, protest this Sunday (5) over the arrest and detention of the deposed president, and his failed attempt to promulgate martial law. The arrest warrant against Yoon, issued on the 30th, expires on Monday (6). The latest attempt to arrest the politician, on Friday (3), had to be interrupted after a standoff lasting more than five hours between investigators from the country’s anti-corruption agency and the presidential security service, which prevented them from entering Yoon’s residence. . People gather near Suk-yeol’s house.
Yoon plunged the country into political chaos on December 3, with his failed attempt to , and since then he has remained hidden in the presidential residence, surrounded by hundreds of security agents to resist arrest attempts. He faces criminal charges for insurrection, one of the few crimes not protected by presidential immunity, which could result in him being sentenced to prison or even the death penalty. If the order is carried out, Yoon will be the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested.
The Democratic Party wants the dissolution of the security services that protect Yoon, as they “violate the constitution” by positioning themselves as “an insurgent force”. The Corruption Investigation Bureau, together with the opposition, urged the acting president, Vice Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, to order the security service to cooperate with them. A request that may not be fulfilled as a report from prosecutors investigating Yoon indicated that the suspended president ignored the objections of senior members of his cabinet when declaring martial law.
The Constitutional Court set the start of Yoon’s impeachment trial for January 14, which will take place even in his absence. This court has up to 180 days to determine whether to confirm Yoon’s removal or return him to power.
*With information from Estadão Conteúdo and AFP
Published by Matheus Lopes
