South Koreans face off over impeached leader Yoon in snowy Seoul

By Reuters 5 January 2025, 6:06 am

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Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol attend a Sunday service as they gather to oppose his impeachment near the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP/Ahn Young-joon)

Thousands in Seoul are braving heavy snow to rally for and against arresting impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, as South Korea’s political crisis appears headed toward another high-stakes confrontation.

With an arrest warrant against Yoon for alleged insurrection expiring at midnight on Monday, multiple groups hold demonstrations near his official residence, some urging his immediate arrest and others protesting against it.

Yoon became the country’s first sitting president to face arrest over his botched attempt to declare martial law on December 3, which triggered political chaos engulfing Asia’s fourth-largest economy and a key US ally.

On Friday, criminal investigators were blocked from arresting him by Yoon’s presidential security service and military troops in a six-hour standoff.

Some of Sunday’s protesters had gathered overnight in downtown Seoul, where temperatures fell below -5 degrees Celsius (23 degrees Fahrenheit). More than five centimeters (2 inches) of snow have piled up in parts of the capital, which is under a heavy snow warning.

“We have to reestablish the foundation of our society by punishing the president who has denied the constitution,” says Yang Kyung-soo, leader of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, a major labor group taking part in the protests. “We must bring down the criminal Yoon Suk Yeol and arrest and detain him as soon as possible.”

Nearby, Yoon supporters hold placards reading “We will fight for President Yoon Suk Yeol” and “Stop the Steal,” a phrase popularised by US President-elect Donald Trump’s supporters after he lost the 2016 election.

Similar rallies drew tens of thousands on Saturday, prompting police to try to disperse protesters occupying roads and disrupting traffic. Two were detained, accused of assaulting police officers, Yonhap news agency reported.

On Saturday, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, which leads Yoon’s criminal investigation, again asked acting President Choi Sang-mok, the finance minister, to order the security service to comply with the arrest warrant.