Thousands of people gathered a short way away from the presidential compound in Seoul on Saturday to show their support for impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol.
On Friday, a group of prosecutors and investigators of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) arrived in the presidential residence in central Seoul, and attempted to arrest the impeached president over his short-lived martial law imposition on Dec 3, 2024.
Many supporters stayed throughout the night to not only show their support but also wait for the possible arrival of investigators. Many believe investigators will try again sometime over the weekend, saying that they will do whatever they can to prevent that from happening.
Supporters said the warrant itself against a sitting president is illegal as emotions run high in their support for Yoon, who technically is still the current sitting president, albeit his powers have been suspended until the Constitutional Court rules on his impeachment.
"I believe we have every right to resist an illegal arrest warrant. This is what due process is all about, isn't it? Since it doesn't follow lawful procedures, we are fully justified in resisting," said Lim Soo-jin, one of the protesters.
"I have come out to restore South Korea's liberal democracy. Isn't this absurd?" said Song Jung-ick, another protester.
The CIO noted that it stopped the execution at about 13:30 Friday over concerns about the safety of the investigators at the scene, expressing deep regret over the attitude of Yoon who refused to comply with legal procedures.
The detention warrant against Yoon was issued by a Seoul court on Tuesday to question the impeached leader over his martial law imposition on the night of Dec 3, 2024, which was revoked by the National Assembly hours later. Yoon had been named by investigative agencies as a suspected ringleader on insurrection charge.
The arrest warrant was scheduled to be effective for a week until Jan 6. If the investigators fail to execute their warrant, they could request an extension or even bypass detention and request a formal arrest warrant.
People gather near South Korean presidential compound in support of Yoon
