A group of protesters faced off with police outside the presidential palace on Friday and vowed to thwart any attempts as authorities sought to execute an arrest warrant against impeached South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol.
Yoon is under criminal investigation for an attempted rebellion during the brief period of martial law on December 3.
Officials from the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO), which leads a joint investigation team including police and prosecutors, said shortly after 7 a.m. (2200 GMT Thursday), according to a Reuters witness. Arriving at the entrance of Yin’s compound.
Yonhap News Agency reported that about 3,000 police officers have been mobilized to prepare.
It was unclear whether the Presidential Security Service, which has blocked investigators with search warrants from entering Yoon’s office and official residence, would try to prevent the arrests.
Media reports said the chief information officer’s vehicle did not immediately enter the compound.
Protesters gathered near his home before dawn, with numbers swelling to hundreds, and media reports said investigative authorities would soon try to execute an arrest warrant approved on Tuesday after Yin refused a summons to appear in court.
“We must stop them with our lives,” one said to the others. About a dozen protesters tried to block a group of police officers at the entrance to the pedestrian bridge.
Some chanted “President Yoon Seok-yeol will be protected by the people” and called for the arrest of the chief information officer.
Pyeong In-soo, 74, said police must be stopped by “patriotic citizens,” a term Yun used to describe those standing guard near his residence.
Holding U.S. and South Korean flags in parallel hands with the words “Let’s go together” in English and Korean, he expressed hope that incoming U.S. President Donald Trump would provide help to Yoon Eun-hye.
“I hope that after Trump takes office, he will use his influence to help our country get back on track,” he said.
Yin shocked the country when he declared martial law late at night on December 3 to break the political deadlock and root out “anti-national forces.”
Within hours, however, 190 lawmakers voted against Yin’s order, defying a military and police blockade. About six hours after the original decree was issued, Yin withdrew the decree.
He later offered a defiant defense of his decision, saying domestic political opponents sympathized with North Korea and citing unsubstantiated claims of election tampering.
Insurrection is one of the few criminal charges against which South Korea’s president does not have immunity.
Yoon’s lawyers said the arrest warrant was illegal and invalid because the chief information officer did not have the authority to apply for one under South Korean law.
Yin has been in isolation since he was impeached and suspended from office on December 14.
In addition to the criminal investigation, his impeachment case is currently before the Constitutional Court to decide whether to reinstate him or remove him permanently. A second hearing in the case is scheduled for later Friday.
