Hundreds of South Korean protesters clashed outside the ousted president’s official residence in Seoul today, with some demanding his immediate detention and others calling for his protection against the risk of arrest.
Facing a warrant for his arrest, Yoon Suk Yeol, 64, remains holed up in his home, vowing to “fight to the end” against authorities who want to question him over his failed attempt to enforce the martial law.
Since the Dec. 3 coup, Yun has shown no remorse and his systematic refusal to submit to the questions of investigators has raised fears that an attempt to arrest him will spark violent incidents, further exacerbating the deep crisis in Asia’s fourth-largest economy. .
YouTube far-rights
Hundreds of Yun’s loyal supporters, including far-right YouTube stars and evangelical leaders, gathered outside his home in Seoul, facing anti-Yun protesters and police riot squads.
A woman fell in front of a police bus, her arms outstretched on the windshield. Other supporters of the ousted Yun lay in the street, eyes closed and arms folded, as police tried to remove them.
Park Si-dong, a 74-year-old protester, told AFP he went there to “fight to the death to save liberal democracy”, arguing that Yoon’s imposition of martial law was justified and he should not be removed.
“Void removal!” chanted the protesters, who were holding South Korean flags.
“Yoon Suk Yeol, we protect you! We protect you!” were also among the slogans heard.
Dozens of people streamed the protests online on YouTube, AFP reporters observed.
Yesterday, Yun sent a message to his most extreme supporters in front of his residence, telling them he was watching them on YouTube and urging them to help him “defend democracy” and “fight to the end”.
The opposition and experts criticized this action, which they saw as an attempt to mobilize the most extreme protesters, who could cause incidents.
But supporters of Yun, such as 63-year-old Kim Sang-bae, said they would not leave the area as they were determined to “stop the injustice” represented by the arrest of a sitting president, unprecedented in South Korean history. .
A pro-Yun protester was arrested for obstructing police, South Korean media reported.
The arrest warrant was illegal, Yun’s lawyers argued, and his security team refused to comply with newly issued search warrants.
The president himself has three times ignored subpoenas from the Bureau of Corruption Investigations, leading investigators to issue an arrest warrant.
Counter demonstration
Nearby, hundreds of anti-Yun protesters staged a counter-demonstration, singing the national anthem, as dozens of riot police struggled to keep the two opposing camps at bay.
Yun’s critics were “hit on the head and attacked repeatedly” by the opposing camp while trying to hold a press conference, according to one of them, 46-year-old Bae Hoon.
“I had the feeling that if we had stayed five minutes longer, a serious incident would have happened,” he added, clarifying that the police tried to intervene, but were outnumbered.
“The pro-Yun crowd was suffocating, with about 500 to 600 people surrounding us … until the first insults and attacks,” Bae described.
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