By Hyonhee Shin
SEOUL (Reuters) – Thousands of people flocked to Seoul on Sunday to protest and protest the arrest of President Yoon Suk Yeol, as South Korea's political landscape appeared to be heading in the opposite direction.
With the arrest warrant against Yoon on charges of sedition expiring at midnight (1500 GMT) on Monday, several groups held protests near his residence, some calling for his immediate arrest and others protesting against it.
Yoon became the country's first president to be arrested over his attempt to declare martial law on Dec. 3, sparking a political upheaval that has engulfed Asia's fourth-largest economy and a key US ally.
The conservative president was impeached by parliament and suspended from official duties while the Constitutional Court decides whether to reinstate or remove him. On Friday, criminal investigators were blocked from arresting him by Yoon's presidential security service and military forces within six hours.
The Seoul Western District Court on Sunday rejected a complaint from Yoon's lawyers that the arrest warrant was illegal and invalid, Yonhap news agency reported. Calls to the court seeking comment were not returned.
Yoon's lawyers say the warrant is unconstitutional because the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO), which is leading his criminal investigation, has no authority under South Korean law to investigate any case involving allegations of treason.
'BIG PROBLEM'
Lawyers said in a statement on Sunday that they will report CIO chief Oh Dong-woon and the investigation team to prosecutors for what they call legal violations, including mobilizing the police when the anti-graft body does not have the authority to do so.
The CIO did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“Judging the validity of any legal explanation and execution is difficult,” Seok Dong-hyeon, a lawyer advising Yoon, said on Facebook (NASDAQ: ). “If there is a mistake in enforcing the law by the current president, it will be a big problem.
Some of Sunday's protesters gathered overnight in downtown Seoul, where temperatures dropped below 5 degrees Celsius (23 degrees Fahrenheit). More than 6 cm (2.4 inches) of snow has piled up in parts of the capital, under a heavy snow warning.
“We must establish the foundation of our society by punishing the president who rejected the constitution,” said Yang Kyung-soo, leader of the Korean Workers' Union (KCTU), the largest labor group that participated in the protest.
“We need to bring down the criminal Yoon Suk Yeol and arrest and arrest him as soon as possible.”
Nearby, Yoon's supporters held placards reading “We will fight for President Yoon Suk Yeol” and “Stop Theft”, a phrase known to supporters of US President Donald Trump after he lost the 2020 election.
Similar rallies drew tens of thousands on Saturday, prompting police to try to disperse KCTU protesters sitting on the streets and disrupting traffic. Two were detained, accused of assaulting the police, Yonhap reported.
On Saturday, the CIO again asked Acting President Choi Sang-mok, the finance minister, to order the security service to comply with the arrest warrant.
A spokesman for the finance ministry declined to comment.