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 high-speed railway connecting east China's Hangzhou City of Zhejiang Province and Hong Kong was put into use on Sunday, cutting travel time between the two cities to below seven hours.   Departing from Hangzhou West Station at 15:10 BJT, the G99 train passes six stations before arriving at 21:56 BJT at West Kowloon Station in Hong Kong. Passengers only need to scan their Exit and Entry Permit at the station to finish cross-boundary inspection.   "It takes just over six hours to arrive in Hong Kong, which is not that long. I have my Hong Kong-Macao Entry-Exit Permit, and all I need is to scan it on the machine over the counter," said Jin Siyu, a traveler taking the first train.   To further facilitate travelers on the route, Hangzhou West Station now allows passengers to extend their Entry-Exit Permit with self-service machines.

"It takes around two to three minutes to finish (the extension) on this machine. But we can only provide extension services," said Chen Na, a staff member at the police station at Hangzhou West Station Hub, under the Yuhang District branch of Hangzhou City Public Security.

Railway connecting Hangzhou and Hong Kong begins operation