South Korea’s presidential security chief said Friday there must be no bloodshed if investigators attempt to execute another arrest warrant for impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his failed martial law bid.Yoon has refused questioning and last week resisted arrest in a tense stand-off between his guards and investigators after his short-lived power grab plunged South Korea into its worst political crisis in decades.”I understand many citizens are concerned about the current situation where government agencies are in conflict and confrontation,” Presidential Security Service (PSS) chief Park Chong-jun told reporters Friday before he was questioned at the Korean National Police Agency.”I believe that under no circumstances should there be physical clashes or bloodshed.”Investigators seeking to question Yoon on insurrection charges linked to his ill-fated declaration of martial law secured a new arrest warrant this week after an initial seven-day order expired on Monday.Several hundred of his supporters have rushed to the presidential residence, braving sub-zero temperatures to defend him.Rival protests have either called for Yoon’s impeachment to be declared invalid or for him to be detained immediately.Yoon would become the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested if investigators are able to detain him.His legal team have said they will not comply with the current warrant.The Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) has declared it would “prepare thoroughly” for the second arrest attempt.CIO chief Oh Dong-woon has apologised for the failed first arrest attempt, saying he was “heartbroken”.PSS chief Park has twice ignored police requests to appear for questioning over allegations of obstruction of public duty since his team blocked investigators from arresting Yoon on January 3.The PSS said Park could not leave his post due to “the serious nature” of protecting Yoon, but police warned they would consider an arrest warrant for the PSS chief if he failed to appear for questioning Friday.”He appears to believe that he must avoid being arrested himself in order to better protect the president,” Shin Yul, a political science professor at Myongji University, told AFP.- Tense standoff -Meanwhile, Yoon’s guards have been increasing security at his central Seoul residential compound with barbed wire installations and bus barricades.Yoon’s legal team said Friday the guards “remain on high alert 24/7” for another arrest attempt “despite immense pressure and stress”.Separate from the insurrection probe, Yoon also faces ongoing impeachment proceedings — lawmakers have already suspended him, but the country’s Constitutional Court will decide whether to uphold this or restore him to office. The court has slated January 14 for the start of Yoon’s impeachment trial, which would proceed in his absence if he does not attend.Yoon’s legal team says he remains inside the residence and may appear at the trial.Former presidents Roh Moo-hyun and Park Geun-hye did not appear for their impeachment trials in 2004 and 2016-2017, respectively.The court has up to 180 days from December 14, when it received the case, to make its ruling.Last week, investigators and police abandoned their arrest bid in a six-hour standoff after being met by a wall of hundreds of security force members who linked arms to prevent access to Yoon.Negotiations between the two sides ultimately faltered and investigators decided to leave for their team’s safety.Observers warned any potentially violent clashes during an arrest attempt could hurt Yoon’s hopes of survival.”Physical confrontations would… likely weaken his position in the upcoming impeachment trial,” political commentator Park Sang-byung told AFP.But polls show approval ratings for Yoon’s ruling party have been rising as the crisis drags on.A new Gallup survey published Friday showed the People Power Party’s approval rating had risen to 34 percent from 24 percent three weeks ago, while the opposition’s sank from 48 percent to 36 percent.
Fri, 10 Jan 2025 03:02:44 GMT
