South Korea’s impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol, has urged his supporters to continue fighting against him as he faces an attempt by authorities to arrest him over a short-lived declaration of martial law. In a letter to his supporters, Yoon wrote that he would “fight until the end” to protect the country.
The opposition Democratic party, which led the impeachment of Yoon on December 14 after his declaration of martial law on December 3, views this as an attempt to incite violence. The party’s spokesperson stated that Yoon remains committed to completing what they term “insurrection”.
A court has approved a warrant for Yoon’s arrest, making him the first sitting president to potentially face detention in such investigations. Insurrection is one of the few criminal charges from which South Korea’s presidents do not have immunity.
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO) has until January 6 to execute the arrest warrant. It remains unclear when and how the authorities will make the arrest, given that the presidential security service has blocked investigators’ access to Yoon’s office and residence despite having a search warrant.
Yoon’s lawyer claims the arrest warrant is invalid due to lack of authority under South Korean law. The lawyer warned police officers could face arrest if they try to detain Yoon on behalf of the CIO, citing limited authority for crowd control and public order.
A second hearing of Yoon’s impeachment trial will be held at the constitutional court on Friday. If the court upholds the impeachment, a presidential election will be held within 60 days.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/02/south-korea-impeachment-yoon-suk-yeol-vows-to-fight-until-end