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

Competent Chinese authorities have handled the case of suspected espionage activities conducted by Philippine nationals in China strictly in accordance with the facts and law, and will protect the lawful rights and interests of the relevant personnel in processing the case, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Monday.

Lin Jian, the spokesman, made the statement at a regular press conference in Beijing in response to a media inquiry on a recent case of suspected espionage activities conducted by Philippine nationals in China.

"China's competent departments have released specific information on the suspected espionage activities conducted by Philippine nationals in China. China's judicial organs and other competent authorities have handled the case in strict accordance with the facts and law and will protect the lawful rights and interests of the relevant personnel. The Philippines has recently concocted multiple so-called 'Chinese spy cases'. Without clearly ascertaining the facts, it handled the cases based on the presumption of guilt and has stigmatized and politicized the cases. China firmly opposes this and has lodged serious protests with the Philippines side multiple times. China urges the Philippines to stop shadow-chasing and earnestly protect the lawful rights and interests of Chinese nationals in the country," said the spokesman.

China handles case of suspected espionage by Philippine nationals strictly in line with law: spokesman