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New arrest warrant for Yoon in an increasingly polarised climate
South Korea’s anti-corruption agency investigating the martial law attempt continues to meet resistance from the president’s security detail and lawyers. Yoon has refused to be questioned three times. Meanwhile, the parliamentary committee charged with impeachment (dominated by the opposition) is trying to speed up the process so that it can reach the Constitutional Court.
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Seoul (AsiaNews/Agencies) – More than a month after South Korea plunged into its current political crisis, the government and the opposition have been unable to overcome the stalemate over the fate of President Yoon Suk-yeol, who was impeached for declaring martial law on the evening of 3 December.
This morning Oh Dong-woo, chief of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), went before the parliamentary committee dealing with the impeachment process. After apologising for failing to execute the arrest warrant against the president, he promised that another attempt will be made soon.
On Friday, hundreds of CIO officials confronted the presidential security service, in a standoff that lasted six hours. Impeachment proceedings are set to start next week, but Yoon has so far ignored summons to appear for questioning.
After the arrest attempt, Yoon’s residence was barricaded, surrounded by barbed wire, and is constantly guarded by hundreds of agents. Investigators asked the police to execute the arrest warrant, but the officers refused to carry out the order, questioning its legality.
Taking Yoon into custody will depend on the CIO’s next actions; while it has already decided to issue a new warrant, it is not yet clear whether a court would give it the power to detain Yoon for up to 20 days.
According to observers, security remains an obstacle. Acting President Choi Sang-mock has not given in to pressure from the opposition, which holds a majority in the National Assembly since April 2024, to fire law enforcement officers and government officials who oppose Yoon's arrest.
Yoon’s lawyers back the resistance from the president’s People Power Party, arguing that the arrest warrant is "illegal" since the investigators lack the authority in cases of insurrection, the charge the president must answer for. Similarly, the presidential security chief stated that Yoon must remain in office until the Constitutional Court rules on impeachment.
The Democratic Party of Korea, which leads the opposition, accused the security services of turning into Yoon's "private militia".
To speed up the legal process, the parliamentary committee handling the case today said that it was dropping the insurrection charge against Yoon to let the Constitutional Court decide on constitutional violations in Yoon's failed martial law bid.
The president’s impeachment trial is set to begin Tuesday, next week, even in his absence, with precedents set in 2004 and 2016 with the impeachments of Presidents Roh Moo-Hyun and Park Geun-hye.
The Constitutional Court has up to 180 days to rule whether to remove Yoon or restore his powers.
Meanwhile, public opinion appears increasingly polarised. Over the weekend, hundreds of protesters braved a heavy snowfall to protest for and against Yoon, who in recent weeks has galvanised his supporters by vowing to "fight to the end".
Yesterday, PPP lawmakers gathered at the former president's residence with police forced to block access streets to stop them.
The situation is beginning to worry South Korea's allies, particularly the United States, which has so far worked hard to improve diplomatic relations between South Korea and Japan in an attempt to counter Beijing.
According to experts, with Donald Trump set to return to the White House, the US has no intention of getting involved in South Korean domestic politics but will pursue as a priority opposition to China’s growing influence.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he has "full confidence" in South Korea's institutions and the South Korean people in resolving the crisis.
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12/02/2016 15:14
10/05/2022 15:44
