South Korea's President Digs His Heels in As He Faces Arrest

We support our Publishers and Content Creators. You can view this story on their website by CLICKING HERE.

If you thought American politics was a soap opera, you should pay attention to the drama that’s going on in South Korea. PJ Media’s Rick Moran has done a good job recapping some of what’s happened so far.

President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in early December, but he changed his mind a few days later. The Associated Press called Yoon’s initial decision a “baffling, dark-of-night martial law edict.”

“Yoon is stripped of his power, but not out of office,” Rick wrote after the National Assembly impeached him. “The Constitutional Court will determine whether the vote was legal or not, and that might take as long as six months. In the meantime, Yoon may be arrested on insurrection charges, or even charged with treason for his attempt to overthrow the government.”

Yoon is waiting to hear from the South Korean Supreme Court; however, it can’t rule because it doesn’t have its full nine members. That’s where the drama gets crazier because the acting president in Yoon’s place refuses to seat more justices.

“The National Assembly helpfully nominated three judges to sit on the bench to judge Yoon’s impeachment, but the interim president, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, a member of Yoon’s People Power Party, is refusing to nominate the three Supreme Court judges, claiming that only the elected president can nominate Supreme Court justices,” Rick explained. “So the National Assembly has now impeached Han. It’s a huge mess at a time when South Korea is facing off against North Korea and China.”

Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok appointed two justices this week, which could increase the chances of the court upholding Yoon’s impeachment. After all this drama, Yoon still faces potential arrest, and, possibly taking a page out of Donald Trump’s book, Yoon remains defiant in his rhetoric.

“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,” the AP reports.

The report continues:

Braving subfreezing temperatures, thousands of Yoon’s supporters rallied for hours near his residence on Thursday amid a heavy police presence, waving South Korean and American flags while chanting, “Nullify the impeachment!” and “We will protect President Yoon Suk Yeol!” Officers removed some protesters who laid down on a road leading to the entrance of Yoon’s residence, but there were no immediate reports of major clashes.

South Korean law provides a wide latitude for citizen’s arrests, which means that anyone could apprehend Yoon if they had a mind to. Yoon’s attorneys have filed to block the arrest warrant and search warrants.

“Yoon’s lawyers have argued that the court’s detainment warrant is invalid, claiming that the anti-corruption agency lacks the legal authority to investigate rebellion charges,” the AP reports. “They also accuse the court of bypassing a law that says locations potentially linked to military secrets cannot be seized or searched without the consent of the person in charge.”

Yoon continues to insist that his martial law declaration was necessary and that he intended it as a temporary measure. The declaration only lasted six hours because the National Assembly voted unanimously to lift it. Stay tuned as the South Korean political drama unfolds.