SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – DECEMBER 24: Protesters hold a demonstration against President Yoon on December 24, 2024 in Seoul, South Korea. The South Korean Congress impeached President Yoon Seok-yeol on December 14. Yin Seok-yeol has been suspended from office, awaiting the Constitutional Court’s impeachment trial. South Korea’s Constitutional Court has begun impeachment proceedings against President Yoon Seok-yeol. (Photo by Antonia Giordano/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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Thousands of people braved heavy snow to rally in Seoul on Sunday to support and oppose the arrest and impeachment of President Yun Seok-yeol, as South Korea’s political crisis appeared to be heading toward another high-stakes confrontation.
A warrant for Yoon’s arrest on suspicion of rebellion expired at midnight (1500 GMT) on Monday and multiple groups held demonstrations near his official residence, with some urging his immediate arrest and others protesting.
Yun became the country’s first sitting president to face arrest when he failed in his attempt to declare martial law on Dec. 3, sparking political chaos that has engulfed Asia’s fourth-largest economy and a key U.S. ally.
The conservative president has been impeached by parliament and suspended from public office, leaving a court to decide whether to reinstate him or remove him. Criminal investigators were prevented from arresting President Yoon during a six-hour standoff on Friday by his security services and the military.
Some protesters on Sunday gathered overnight in central Seoul, where temperatures dropped below -5 degrees Celsius (23 degrees Fahrenheit). Parts of the capital have more than 5 centimeters (2 inches) of snow and are under a heavy snow warning.
Yang Kyung-soo, leader of the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), a major labor group participating in the protests, said, “We must rebuild the foundation of our society by punishing the president who denies the constitution.”
“We must bring down criminal Yoon Seok-yeol as soon as possible and arrest and detain him.”
Nearby, Yoon supporters held placards that read “We will fight for President Yoon Seok-yeol” and “Stop the steal,” a slogan popular among supporters of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump after his defeat in the 2016 election. a sentence.
A similar rally on Saturday drew tens of thousands, prompting police to try to disperse Korea Federation of Trade Unions protesters who occupied roads and disrupted traffic. Two people were detained on charges of assaulting police officers, Yonhap News Agency reported.
On Saturday, the Office of the Corruption Investigation of Senior Officials, which is leading the criminal investigation into Yoon, once again asked Acting President and Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok to order security agencies to comply with the arrest warrant.
A Treasury spokesman declined to comment.
