Police vow stern action after pro-Yoon rioters storm courthouse

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Police vow stern action after pro-Yoon rioters storm courthouse

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI


A protester breaks into the window of the Seoul Western District Court in Mapo District, western Seoul, following the issuance of an arrest warrant for impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on Jan. 19. [NEWS1]

A protester breaks into the window of the Seoul Western District Court in Mapo District, western Seoul, following the issuance of an arrest warrant for impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on Jan. 19. [NEWS1]

 
Authorities on Sunday vowed to take strict action against protesters who violently stormed the Seoul Western District Court to protest the formal arrest of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol earlier that day.
 
According to police and witnesses, some 100 protesters supporting the president began forcing their way into the court in western Seoul at around 3 a.m. Sunday, shortly after the court issued an arrest warrant for Yoon at 2:50 a.m.
 

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Enraged supporters broke through police barricades at the back gate of the court in Mapo District, western Seoul, with some climbing over the courthouse walls. They shattered windows and doors, entering the building at around 3:21 a.m. Protesters reportedly threw vases and cigarette ashtrays at police officers, while others attempted to seize police shields and physically assaulted officers.
 
As the confrontation escalated, leaving some police officers injured and bleeding, additional officers in riot gear and helmets were deployed to the scene. Some protesters reportedly made their way to the fifth and sixth floors of the court, where judges' offices are located.
 
Some rioters called for the presiding judge who issued the warrant, while other protesters chanted the president's name.
 
Around 1,400 police officers were dispatched to contain the situation.
 
Police, right, and supporters of arrested President Yoon Suk Yeol clash in front of the Seoul Western District Court in Mapo District, western Seoul, on Jan. 19. [NEWS1]

Police, right, and supporters of arrested President Yoon Suk Yeol clash in front of the Seoul Western District Court in Mapo District, western Seoul, on Jan. 19. [NEWS1]

 
Police said 87 protesters were apprehended between Saturday and early Sunday, including 46 detained during the violent break-in on Sunday morning.
 
Police convened an emergency meeting and announced plans to formally arrest and investigate those involved in the incident.  
 
"We will take stern action in accordance with the law and principles, treating this illegal and violent act as a severe challenge to the rule of law," police said in a notice to the press.
 
Prosecutors formed a nine-member team to lead the investigation. The Supreme Prosecutors' Office criticized the incident, describing it as a "grave crime" that undermines the rule of law and the judiciary system.
 
Cha Eun-kyung, the senior judge who presided over the hearing that led to the issuance of Yoon's arrest warrant, requested police protection. The police will be protecting her starting Monday morning.
 
Following the violent disruption, Yoon issued a statement through his attorneys urging his supporters to express their opinions in a "peaceful manner."
 
As of Sunday morning, police reported 35 officers suffered minor injuries, while seven others suffered more serious injuries requiring at least three weeks of medical treatment.
 
Acting President Choi Sang-mok expressed "strong regret" over the incident, calling it an "unimaginable act in a democratic society." He instructed relevant agencies to bolster security measures and ensure future rallies are conducted safely.
 
Facilities at the Seoul Western District Court in Mapo District, western Seoul, are seen destroyed following the intrusion of protesters on Jan. 19. [YONHAP]

Facilities at the Seoul Western District Court in Mapo District, western Seoul, are seen destroyed following the intrusion of protesters on Jan. 19. [YONHAP]

 
On Sunday afternoon, Yoon's supporters gathered again at the Seoul Western District Court and marched toward the Constitutional Court in Jongno District, central Seoul. Some 1,500 supporters gathered for the march, according to police estimates.
 
Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung denounced the protesters' act, calling it an "unacceptable action" that "threatens the judiciary and undermines the democratic republic."
 
National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik also criticized the violence, describing the "overnight attack on the court" as a grave crime that defies the Constitution and the rule of law. In a statement, Woo compared the incident to the "martial law command invading the National Assembly" during the brief Dec. 3 martial law declaration, calling it a threat to a constitutional institution.
 
On the same day, People Power Party floor leader Kweon Seong-dong urged Yoon's supporters to voice their opinions within the "legal framework" but also called for an investigation into the police's "excessive and violent response."

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [[email protected]]
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