1 of 4 | Protesters yell at police as officers clear Yoon supporters who were blocking access to the impeached president’s residence. Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI
SEOUL, Jan. 2 (UPI) — Tensions ran high near the residence of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol Thursday, as rival protesters clashed and hundreds of supporters formed a blockade to prevent his imminent arrest.
A South Korean court authorized a warrant Tuesday for Yoon’s arrest on insurrection and abuse of power allegations following his short-lived declaration of martial law on Dec. 3.
Conservative supporters have gathered near his residence in Seoul’s Hannam-dong neighborhood since the court’s decision. Late Wednesday night, Yoon sent a defiant message to the crowd, vowing to “fight to the end to protect this country.”
“The Republic of Korea is now in danger due to the forces of encroachment on sovereignty and anti-state forces both inside and outside the country,” Yoon wrote in a letter shared widely on social media. “I will fight to the end to protect this country with you.”
The opposition Democratic Party, which led the successful impeachment motion, said that Yoon was still trying to complete his “insurrection” and called for his immediate arrest.
“Yoon Suk Yeol has confirmed that he will not give up the insurrection until the end,” party spokeswoman Ahn Gwi-ryeong said in a statement. “He is trying to incite his supporters to plunge the country into division and chaos.”
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials has said that it will execute the warrant by Monday, before it expires.
Yoon claimed that he declared martial law to protect the public from the “pro-North Korea anti-state forces” in the Democratic Party. He has also frequently repeated unsubstantiated election fraud claims and recently said that there was evidence of a North Korean hacking attack on the National Election Commission.
Supporters Thursday echoed Yoon’s claims, with many carrying “Stop the Steal” signs alongside South Korean and United States flags.
“The Democratic Party has taken all the power and now they declared they are going to arrest President Yoon,” rally participant T.S. Choe said. “So people are now recognizing that something is wrong. They’re getting mad and they came here to lie down in front of his residence.”
Protesters shouted at police as officers forcibly removed dozens of supporters who had staged a sit-in to block access to Yoon’s residence. Local media also reported on clashes between supporters and counter-protesters.
Yoon is the first sitting South Korean president to face arrest. As of Thursday evening, the warrant had not yet been executed.