Police officers in front of the residence of deposed South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul on January 3, 2025. JUNG YEON-JE / AFP South Korea is sinking deeper into political and judicial confusion after the thunderclap provoked by President Yoon Suk Yeol during his failed attempt, at the beginning of December 2024, to impose martial law in the country, which has now earned him subject to an arrest warrant. Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers The South Korean president targeted by an arrest warrant for his declaration of martial law Read later “The execution of the arrest warrant against President Yoon Suk Yeol has begun,” announced Friday January 3 in the morning, the Office of Investigation into Corruption of Senior Personalities (CIO), which centralizes the investigation for “rebellion” against the head of state. But IOC agents are facing resistance from members of the “security service” of the presidential residence after a first clash with a military unit, the South Korean agency Yonhap reported on Friday. Journalists from Agence France-Presse (AFP) had previously seen one of the IOC prosecutors accompanied by several other people cross the imposing security barrier set up in front of the presidential residence around 8 a.m. local time (1 a.m. in Paris). An “illegal” arrest attempt, according to the president’s lawyer The CIO, which centralizes investigations into the presidential coup of December 3, has until January 6 to execute the arrest warrant issued by a court in Seoul at his request. “The execution of this arrest warrant is illegal and invalid,” said, for his part, the leader’s lawyer, Yoon Kap-keun, announcing a new legal action to block this execution, in addition to those that he has already filed to challenge the validity of the warrant itself. Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers The South Korean president, more cornered than ever, is relying on procedural complexities to remain in office Read later An arrest of Yoon Suk Yeol, who officially remains the head of state and is only suspended pending confirmation by the Constitutional Court of his dismissal by mid-June, would be unprecedented in South Korean history. It remains unclear which army unit physically opposed Mr. Yoon’s arrest on Friday. In recent weeks, members of his security service had already blocked attempts to search the presidential residence. IOC chief Oh Dong-woon warned that anyone who tried to prevent Mr. Yoon’s arrest could face prosecution themselves. Read also | In Seoul, pro- and anti-Yoon protesters clash in front of his official residence, where he has holed up Read later Hundreds of die-hard Mr. Yoon supporters, including well-known far-right YouTubers and Christian preachers evangelicals, camped near the presidential residence all night from Thursday to Friday, some organizing nightly prayer sessions. “Yoon Suk Yeol!” Yoon Suk Yeol! », they chanted, waving red light sticks, monitored by the police present in large numbers. According to the Yonhap agency, some 2,700 police officers were deployed in the area, after clashes between supporters and detractors of the ousted president the previous evening. Yoon Suk Yeol vows to “fight until the end” Yoon Suk Yeol stunned South Korea on the night of December 3 to 4 by imposing martial law and sending the army to Parliament to try to muzzle it, an episode which reminded the country of the dark hours of the military dictatorship. He was forced to backtrack a few hours later, when MPs managed to enter Parliament and pass a motion demanding the lifting of martial law while their aides blocked the doors of the Hemicycle with furniture and thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators gathered outside. Le Monde Mémorable Test your general knowledge with the editorial staff of “Le Monde” Test your general knowledge with the editorial staff of “Le Monde” Discover The 64-year-old former star prosecutor has shown no contrition since his dismissal by Parliament on December 14 , even vowing to “fight until the end” in a letter distributed Wednesday to his supporters. Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers In South Korea, political chaos intensifies with the disputed dismissal of the interim president Read later On the political level, the crisis worsened on Friday, when Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who held the interim presidency, was in turn dismissed by Parliament. Presidential powers are now in the hands of Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok. Since then, Mr. Choi has partially acceded to an opposition request by appointing two new judges to the Constitutional Court, three of whose nine seats are vacant. This court must rule by a two-thirds majority to confirm the dismissal of the president, otherwise he will automatically return to his chair. Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers The memory of the Gwangju massacre at the heart of the mobilization against martial law in South Korea Read later Le Monde with AFP Reuse this content
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Author : News7
Publish date : 2025-01-03 02:09:52
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