Yoon Suk Yeol, the impeached president of South Korea, vowed to “fight” any attempts by authorities to question him about his unsuccessful attempt to impose martial law, but he remained resolutely inside his home on Thursday, resisting arrest for a third day.
The beleaguered leader faces arrest, incarceration, or, in the worst case scenario, the death penalty after making the erroneous announcement on December 3 that resulted in his impeachment. Since then, Yoon’s supporters and detractors have set up camp outside his presidential mansion, and his security staff has staged a dramatic standoff by obstructing police raid attempts.
As the crisis progressed, Yoon went to ground but remained unrepentant, sending a defiant message to his followers just days before an arrest warrant expires on January 6.
In a statement sent to demonstrators, he claimed that “the Republic of Korea is currently in danger due to internal and external forces threatening its sovereignty, and the activities of anti-state elements,” as his attorney Yoon Kab-keun confirmed to AFP.
He said that he witnessed the hundreds-strong demonstration on Wednesday night via a YouTube broadcast and that he “vowed to fight alongside you to the very end to protect this nation.”
The impeached leader was still within the presidential compound, Yoon Kab-keun said AFP.
“The president is at the (official presidential) residence,” he stated.
Democratic Party spokeswoman Jo Seoung-lae called Yoon Suk Yeol “delusional” and accused him of attempting to instigate conflicts, while opposition MPs swiftly denounced his defiant speech as incendiary.
The legal team representing the suspended president has asked for an injunction to stop the warrant, calling Wednesday’s arrest order “an unlawful and invalid act.”
Oh Dong-woon, the head of the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO), issued a warning that anyone attempting to prevent authorities from apprehending Yoon Suk Yeol could be prosecuted.
A Seoul court granted a search warrant for his official residence and other sites in addition to the summons, a CIO official told AFP.
The official position of the Presidential Security Service has been to follow due process when handling the warrants.
Although the number of guards assigned to him is unknown, they have prevented searches of his home and office.
Two sections under South Korea’s Criminal Procedure Act that forbid taking property from places where official secrets are kept without the owner’s permission have been referenced by them.
Similar arrest orders for MPs were not carried out by South Korean officials in 2000 and 2004 because party members and supporters blocked police during the seven-day period the warrants were valid.
However, the political turmoil that caused the nation to momentarily revert to the dark days of military control is the backdrop against which prosecutors and police are debating Yoon Suk Yeol’s detention.
Yoon Suk Yeol said that the martial law order was intended to eradicate “anti-state elements,” yet it was only in place for a few hours.
Legislators hurried to parliament to vote it down, forcing the president to immediately retreat when armed troops attacked the national assembly building, scaling fences, shattering windows, and landing by helicopter.
Parliament then revoked his presidential powers, and he is currently being prosecuted for insurrection.
Since then, Yoon Suk Yeol has denied three separate summonses to appear in court and has reaffirmed his allegations that the opposition was working with South Korea’s communist adversaries.
Following his rejection, supporters have rushed to Seoul to show their support, hurling insults at police and brandishing signs opposing his impeachment.
Whether to uphold his impeachment will be decided by a constitutional court.
His replacement, Han Duck-soo, was also impeached by parliament late last week for not signing laws for probes into his predecessor, which further exacerbated the unrest.
As acting president, Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok promised to do everything in his power to put a stop to the political turmoil.
Since then, he has chosen to name two new judges to the constitutional court, which is a major opposition demand. However, Yoon Suk Yeol’s team chastised him for going over his authority.