Category: Politics-Korea

The attempt to arrest President Yoon has failed, fortunately this did not turn into a huge brawl:

Investigators from the state anti-corruption agency and police officers leave the premises of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol’s official residence in Seoul on Jan. 3, 2025, after failing to execute a warrant to detain Yoon over his failed bid to impose martial law in December. (Yonhap)

The state anti-corruption agency suspended its attempt to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his failed martial law bid Friday following an hourslong standoff between investigators and presidential security staff.

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) is expected to make another attempt to detain Yoon over the weekend, while the Presidential Security Service (PSS) threatened to take legal action against “unauthorized trespassing” on the presidential residence.

Yonhap

Here is Yoon’s lawyers’ view of this arrest warrant:

The official said three prosecutors were allowed to walk up to the front of the residence, but not inside, making it difficult to determine whether the president was at home.

The prosecutors did, however, meet with two lawyers for Yoon — Yun Gap-geun and Kim Hong-il — who the official said repeated their position that the president could not comply with a warrant issued “illegally” to an agency unauthorized to investigate insurrection charges.

I still have not read a clear explanation of if what Yoon did was unconstiutional or not. It was clearly stupid and not something I would have advised, but was it illegal? If anyone has any links that lays out clearly the ROK President’s ability to declare martial law please leave them in the comments section.

Besides Presidential security blocking the attempt by investigators to arrest Yoon he also drew a large crowd of demonstrators in support of him:

Rallies by Yoon’s supporters outside the presidential residence, however, have complicated the CIO’s effort, along with the potential for clashes with the PSS.

More than 1,000 pro-Yoon protesters gathered near the residence on Friday morning. Surrounded by some 2,700 police officers deployed to maintain order, they chanted: “Illegal warrant. Completely invalid” and “Arrest the CIO.”

When news broke about the CIO’s withdrawal, the protesters, whose number had grown to 11,000 according to a police estimate, erupted in cheers and shouted “We won” while waving the South Korean and U.S. flags and chanting the president’s name.

You can read more at the link.

This could get really ugly if the Korean police try to raid the Presidential office and get into a fight with Presidential security:

Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, in a message to conservative supporters rallying outside his Seoul residence, vowed to “fight to the end” against “anti-state forces,” while his legal team warned Thursday that police officers attempting to detain him could face arrest by his presidential security service or even civilians.

Yoon’s latest statement of defiance came as the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials prepared to execute a detainment warrant against him that was issued by a Seoul court on Tuesday and is valid for one week. The warrant was issued after Yoon evaded multiple requests to appear for questioning and blocked searches of his office, hindering an investigation into whether his short-lived power grab on Dec. 3 amounted to rebellion.

Oh Dong-woon, the anti-corruption agency’s chief prosecutor, has indicated that police forces might be deployed if Yoon’s security service resists the detention attempt, which could occur as early as Thursday. But it remains unclear whether Yoon can be compelled to submit to questioning. Yoon’s legal team issued a statement on Thursday warning that any attempt by the anti-corruption agency to use police units for his detention would exceed their legal authority. The lawyers said police officers could face arrest by either the “presidential security service or any citizens” if they try to detain Yoon. They didn’t elaborate further on the claim.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

Lee Jae-myung with all his legal problems would probably have a lot in common to talk about with Donald Trump if he does in fact become president:

Despite standing trial for 12 criminal charges, including an election law violation for which he was convicted seven weeks ago, Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), remains a heavy favorite to win the next presidential election, according to the latest poll by The Korea Times.

About 35 percent of the respondents said they would support Lee, far ahead of his potential rivals such as Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo (7 percent), former People Power Party (PPP) leader Han Dong-hoon (5 percent) and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon (4 percent) among others, the poll showed.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

It is going to be interesting to see how this plays out because it has never happened before:

A Seoul court on Tuesday issued a warrant to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his botched martial law imposition, making him the first sitting South Korean president to face arrest. 

The Seoul Western District Court approved a request from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) to issue the warrant against Yoon on charges of masterminding the botched Dec. 3 martial law declaration, orchestrating the insurrection and abusing power, according to the CIO. 

The court also approved a warrant to search Yoon’s presidential residence in Seoul’s Yongsan in connection with the investigation.

Yonhap

Here is how Yoon’s legal team is responding:

Although Yoon has presidential immunity from criminal prosecution, by law, the privilege does not extend to insurrection or treason charges.

Yoon’s defense team has argued the CIO lacks legal authority to investigate insurrection, a charge for which, in principle, police have investigative jurisdiction under the current system, amended during the previous government. 

Oh Dong-woon, the CIO chief, has said that, unlike search warrants, a court-issued detention or arrest warrant cannot legally be obstructed, even by the president.

You can read more at the link.

It looks like acting President Choi is trying to push a compromise between the KDP and the PPP which I doubt he is going to have much success with:

Acting President Choi Sang-mok appointed two out of three Constitutional Court justice nominees, Tuesday, as he presided over his first regular Cabinet meeting after assuming the role.

Choi took on the position following former acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo’s impeachment by the opposition-controlled National Assembly on Friday. Han was ousted for delaying the appointment of three Constitutional Court justice nominees who had won parliamentary approval on Thursday.

Choi appointed Jeong Gye-seon, nominated by the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), and Cho Han-chang, recommended by the ruling People Power Party (PPP), but said he would hold off the appointment of Ma Eun-hyuk, nominated by the DPK, until rival parties reach a compromise.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

If the Democratic Party does yet another impeachment this would actually support Yoon’s rationale of why he tried to declare martial law. The Democratic Party is dangerously paralyzing the government for partisan political reasons:

Despite the growing risk that the country could be left without a government to mount effective responses to serious crises, hard-liners in the liberal Democratic Party (DP) have suggested impeaching more ministers to neutralize the Cabinet’s ability to stonewall legislation should Choi not cooperate with the DP-controlled National Assembly. 

At least 11 members of the 21-member Cabinet must be present for the council to hold meetings, where it considers bills and issues directives. Six Cabinet-level positions are currently empty due to impeachments or resignations. 

One of the DP’s reasons for impeaching Han was his refusal to immediately appoint the legislature’s three nominees for the Constitutional Court, which will decide the outcome of Yoon’s impeachment trial. 

For Yoon’s impeachment to be upheld, at least six justices must agree on his removal from office. 

The court must therefore be unanimous with its current six-member composition to finalize his dismissal. 

In recent comments, DP Rep. Jang Kyung-tae said his party “should impeach several Cabinet members,” including Choi, if he also delays appointing more justices to the court. 

(Joong Ang Ilbo)

You can read more at the link.

That is what the Joong Ang Ilbo is speculating on:

One month ago, far-right political YouTuber and popular pundit Ko Sung-kook uploaded  videos that mirrored the president’s televised public address, including the tone and rhetoric.   

“No one trusts the polls and the NEC [National Election Commission] anymore. They carry the votes around in a basket and are a severe threat to democracy. They should not be trusted,” Ko is filmed telling his 1.1 million subscribers.  

Ko is just one in an ecosystem of far-right political YouTubers who support their beliefs by stretching the truth and spreading unfounded ideas that extend to conspiracy theories.  (Joong Ang Ilbo)

You can read more at the link, but basically the Korean public has lost faith in legacy media and has turned to YouTube personalities for what they believe is less bias news. Yoon is supposedly a big consumer of these conservative YouTube personalities and was sold on election fraud by listening to them.

Yoon has already been impeached there is is no need for this protest. Wait until the Constitutional Court renders its final decision on the impeachment before deciding to protest:

Tractors driven by a farmers’ group calling for President Yoon Suk Yeol’s arrest are stopped by police in southern Seoul on Dec. 21. [NEWS1]

A group of farmers headed into central Seoul aboard tractors to stage a protest for President Yoon Suk Yeol’s arrest were stopped by police on Saturday on the outskirts of the capital, causing severe traffic congestion. 
  
Some 30 tractors and approximately 50 cargo trucks affiliated with the Korean Peasants League were prevented by police from traveling north of the Namtaeryeong pass in southern Seoul at 12 p.m., according to the farmer’s group and police. 
  
The group had planned to stage a protest using tractors in front of Yoon’s residence in Yongsan District and Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, but the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency restricted their entry, citing their demonstration’s potential impact on traffic.

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link, but according to the article these protesters with their tractors were clogging up traffic in Seoul. Traffic is bad enough in Seoul without these idiots making it worse.

It looks like most of President Yoon’s cabinet had no idea about the martial law decree and he called them into a meeting that night just to consolidate them before declaring it:

A brief, five-minute Cabinet meeting took place between 10:17 p.m. and 10:22 p.m. in the presidential reception room, apparently without due process or any official record, according to data from the Ministry of Interior and Safety submitted by the presidential office.

Yoon, who came into the meeting but did not even sit down, abruptly left the meeting. At 10:23 p.m., he began reading his statement — without the presence of Cabinet members or reporters. The live televised address culminated in the declaration of martial law at around 10:28 p.m.

Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Song Mi-Kyung vividly recounted that some of those present at the five-minute Cabinet meeting on Dec. 3 were completely blindsided, leaving them powerless to intervene or stop him from making it public.

“(The president) briefly entered the room and then left. After he left, those who were seated were taken aback and asked, ‘Where did he go?’ At that moment, someone played a broadcast on their phone, and his voice came through. That’s what happened,” Song said during the Dec. 11 plenary session of the Assembly, recalling that the Cabinet meeting never formally concluded — there was no declaration signaling its end.

“It wasn’t even possible to grab hold of him or physically intervene in any way. I am truly sorry for this.”

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.