Police disperse clashing protesters as Yoon's arrest draws near

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Police disperse clashing protesters as Yoon's arrest draws near

Published: 02 Jan. 2025, 17:35 Updated: 02 Jan. 2025, 19:06

CHO JUNG-WOO
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Police disperse supporters of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol who were protesting outside the presidential residence in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Thursday. [NEWS1]

Tensions surged on Thursday as rival protesters clashed and police intervened after impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged to "fight to the end to protect the country" in a letter addressed to his supporters the night before.

Thursday marked the third day since a court issued a warrant to arrest Yoon for masterminding the Dec. 3 declaration of martial law, plotting an insurrection and abusing his presidential authority. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) chief said Wednesday that the warrant will be executed by Monday, before it expires.

As the anticipated execution of the warrant approaches, protests both for and against Yoon’s impeachment are intensifying.

On Thursday morning, Yoon's supporters gathered in front of the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan District, central Seoul, to protect the impeached president.

“I don’t think the president has done anything wrong to step down,” a 73-year-old supporter told the JoongAng Ilbo, the Korea JoongAng Daily’s affiliate.

The supporter added, “How bad must the circumstances have been for Yoon to declare martial law? We need to trust him.”

By 1 p.m., around 5,000 supporters had gathered outside the residence, according to an unofficial police tally.

The crowds were energized by a letter Yoon sent supporters on Wednesday night, thanking them for "protecting the constitutional order of liberal democracy."

In the letter signed by Yoon, delivered through a presidential official, the impeached president expressed his appreciation for his supporters’ “efforts,” which he said he had been watching via YouTube livestreams.

Supporters of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol protest against the impeachment near the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan District in central Seoul on Jan. 2. [YONHAP]

Rallies outside Yoon’s residence have grown in size since the court issued the arrest warrant on Tuesday. On Wednesday, around 6,000 people gathered at the site as of 6 p.m., according to unofficial police estimates.

Protests calling for Yoon’s arrest also took place nearby on Thursday.

“I have been calling for Yoon’s arrest since Dec. 24,” a protester in their 30s told the JoongAng Ilbo. The protester criticized Yoon’s letter as an attempt to “sway” his supporters, adding that it had made them angry.

During the rallies, physical altercations broke out between conservative and liberal YouTubers.

One group called for the president’s arrest, while the other demanded the detention of Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Jae-myung.

Tensions reportedly escalated when a conservative YouTuber crossed a police cordon and refused to leave the restricted area. The situation quickly devolved into physical clashes as others joined in.

In response, police restricted access to the sidewalk in front of the presidential residence and dispatched officers to prevent further clashes among protesters. They began physically dispersing the supporters later in the afternoon.

Following Yoon’s letter, the DP said Thursday that it had instructed its lawmakers to remain vigilant for any urgent situations.

“We view the letter as a signal that could lead to extreme actions,” DP vice floor leader Park Sung-joon said during an interview with a CBS radio show, regarding the progress of the warrant execution and Yoon’s message to far-right groups “serious.”

The DP added that it would prepare measures to respond to potential escalations outside the residence and in case protests spread to the National Assembly.

Meanwhile, observers have raised concerns about potential clashes among police officers, as the CIO is coordinating with the police on how to execute the warrant while the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency secures the presidential office and residence.

However, a police official dismissed such concerns, saying that the Presidential Security Service does not have the authority to instruct police according to law.

“The Presidential Security Service has been instructing the police security unit, as it directly secures the president,” the official said.

"However, clashes between police units are unlikely, as the police are not directly instructed by the Presidential Security Service under the law.”

A person walks by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi, on Jan. 2. [NEWS1]

In response to the CIO's planned warrant execution, Yoon’s legal counsel criticized the CIO’s plans to execute the warrant with police support, calling it an “unlawful act without legal grounds.”

In a statement, the counsel argued that the CIO Act does not grant the agency "comprehensive investigative command authority over the police” and that the Police Mobile Unit’s legal responsibilities are limited to “maintaining public order and performing security activities,” not assisting investigations.

With the warrant’s execution imminent, security was heightened at the CIO complex in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi, on Thursday. The CIO told reporters that only individuals registered in their system by Thursday would be allowed to enter the complex starting Friday. The restriction will remain in place even after the warrant expires on Monday, the CIO said.

If Yoon is arrested, he is expected to be questioned at the CIO headquarters and held at the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi, when not under questioning. Investigators would need to request a detention warrant within 48 hours of his arrest to extend his custody.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO, SHIM SEOK-YONG AND KIM SEO-WON [[email protected]]