Public reaction toward attempted arrest of impeached S Korean president Yoon

Some Seoul residents shared their views on the attempt to arrest impeached 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.

But after a confrontation with presidential security service agents, they announced they were no longer proceeding with the arrest warrant. The CIO said the continued confrontation made it virtually impossible to execute the arrest warrant against Yoon, which was issued by a Seoul court on Tuesday.

Over the attempted arrest of Yoon, local residents in Seoul voiced their opinion on Friday.

"I believe the arrest warrant for impeached president Yoon Suk-yeol followed the appropriate legal procedures. However, I believe that the reckless disruptions and unlawful actions by Yoon Suk-yeol's supporters pose a serious issue," said Cho Chan-woo, a student.

"I believe he should be arrested without delay and I feel that the current pace is far too sluggish. A major rally is set to take place soon, and if he isn't arrested promptly, there is a risk of clashes between different groups leading to unnecessary disturbances," said Lee Soo-jin, who works as an artist.

"The declaration of martial law is certainly within the president's authority and is not illegal. Arbitrarily labeling it a rebellion and arresting him for that is illogical," said Kang Nam-hoon, a retiree.

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 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.

Public reaction toward attempted arrest of impeached S Korean president Yoon

Public reaction toward attempted arrest of impeached S Korean president Yoon

The delegation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the Chinse People's Armed Police Force to the third session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), China's national legislature, held group meetings to review the government work report on Wednesday afternoon in Beijing.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang delivered the government work report on behalf of the State Council at the opening meeting of the third session of the 14th NPC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Wednesday morning.

Zhang Youxia, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and vice chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), said that the extraordinary achievements made by the Party, the country and the military over the past year have proved that no difficulties or obstacles can stop China from advancing the historical process of national rejuvenation.

He stressed that the entire military forces must focus on achieving the centenary goal of the PLA, comprehensively enhance the military's capability to fight and win, and accelerate the advancement of the modernization of national defense and armed forces.

He Weidong, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and vice chairman of the CMC, said that under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee, China has made new solid strides forward in advancing Chinese modernization, urging the whole military to strengthen military training and combat readiness, promote the implementation of plans, unswervingly enforce discipline while combating corruption to achieve the centenary goal of the PLA.

Military delegation to NPC annual session reviews gov't work report