South Korean police prepare for ‘worst-case scenarios’ ahead of Yoon impeachment ruling

Police will be out in force, and subway stations and at least one school will be closed over safety concerns when South Korea’s Constitutional Court rules whether to oust or reinstate impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Yoon’s political fate hangs in the balance after his short-lived martial law decree on December 3 led to his impeachment and separate criminal charges of insurrection.

The impeachment ruling is expected to come as soon as this week, and both supporters and opponents of Yoon are expected to turn out in large numbers, with recent protests gathering tens of thousands.

“We are setting up plans considering the worst-case scenarios,” Lee Ho-young, Acting Commissioner General of the National Police Agency, tells reporters.

Police officers can use pepper spray or batons in case of violence similar to what happened during a rampage by Yoon supporters on a court building in January, Lee adds.

On the day of the ruling, a subway station near the Constitutional Court will be closed, and trains might not stop at other subway stations where large rallies are expected, the Seoul Metro says.