Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol defied arrest for the third day on Thursday, pledging to “fight” officials seeking to question him over his failed martial law push.
The besieged leader delivered the failed announcement on December 3 that resulted in his impeachment and now faces arrest, jail, or, at worst, the death penalty, according to reports.
Yoon loyalists and opponents have since camped outside his presidential residence, with members of his security team preventing attempted police raids in a tense standoff.
Yoon has gone underground but has remained unrepentant throughout the crisis, sending a defiant message to his followers just days before his arrest warrant expires on January 6.
Yoon Kab-keun said the impeached leader remained inside the presidential compound.
Yoon Suk Yeol’s bold remark was swiftly condemned as inflammatory by opposition politicians, with Democratic Party spokeswoman Jo Seoung-lae labeling him “delusional” and accused him of attempting to instigate violence.
The suspended president’s legal team has sought an injunction to prevent the warrant, describing the arrest order issued on Wednesday as “an unlawful and invalid act”.
Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) chief Oh Dong-woon warned that anyone trying to block authorities from arresting Yoon Suk Yeol could themselves face prosecution.
South Korean officials have previously failed to execute similar arrest warrants for lawmakers — in 2000 and 2004 — due to party members and supporters blocking police for the seven-day period the warrants were valid.
However, discussions between prosecutors and police about Yoon Suk Yeol’s arrest are taking place in the background of the political crisis that saw the country briefly lurch back to the dark days of military rule.
The martial law order, which Yoon Suk Yeol said was aimed at eliminating “anti-state elements”, only lasted a few hours.
Armed troops stormed the national assembly building, scaling fences, smashing windows and landing by helicopter, but the president was quickly forced to make a U-turn after lawmakers rushed to parliament to vote it down.
He was then stripped of his presidential duties by parliament and now faces criminal charges of insurrection.
Yoon Suk Yeol has since refused summonses for questioning three times and doubled down on claims the opposition was in league with South Korea’s communist enemies.
Supporters have raced to Seoul to support him in the wake of his refusal, spewing vitriol at police and waving anti-impeachment placards.
A constitutional court will rule whether to uphold his impeachment.
The instability was exacerbated late last week when his successor, Han Duck-soo, was impeached by parliament for neglecting to sign measures authorizing probes into his predecessor.
Choi Sang-mok, the finance minister, has been appointed acting president and has promised to do everything possible to put an end to the political turmoil.
He has since chosen to nominate two new constitutional court justices, a crucial opposition demand, but Yoon Suk Yeol’s team has chastised him for overstepping his authority.
