Rival camps protest in South Korea as authorities press for Yoon’s arrest

A day after authorities failed to execute an arrest warrant on the suspended leader due to his brief but brief declaration of martial law, thousands of South Korean protesters staged rival rallies in Seoul.

On Saturday, the protesters staged a standoff with Yoon, who was reportedly wanted for impeachment or for his arrest.

The growing political conflict comes as the country’s acting president, Choi Sang-mok, was being pressured by the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) for High-Ranking Officials to order the country’s security service to comply with a Yoon arrest warrant.

In a six-hour standoff inside the impeached president’s compound, Yoon was prevented by the president’s security service and soldiers on Friday. In response to safety concerns, investigators eventually called off the arrest attempt.

The court order is set to expire on Monday, but the showdown reportedly included shoving but no shots fired.

The first arrest warrant for a sitting president was issued on December 3 due to Yoon’s martial declaration, which also spooked South Korea and caused a serious political crisis.

Yoon faces criminal charges of insurrection, one of a few crimes not subject to presidential immunity, meaning he could be sentenced to prison or, at worst, the death penalty.

His lawyers decried Friday’s arrest attempt as “unlawful and invalid” and said they would take legal action.

Also on Saturday, the police asked Park Chong-jun, the chief of the presidential security service protecting Yoon, to appear for questioning on Tuesday, Yonhap News reported.

Al Jazeera’s Patrick Fok, reporting from Seoul, said the protests on Saturday have been peaceful and orderly.

There have been many positive aspects to that, but there is definitely growing growing frustration with President Yoon, he said.

If the situation persists, “and you wonder how long these rallies can continue to be peaceful.”

Yoon supporter Kim Chul-hong, 60, said the impeached president’s arrest could undermine South Korea’s security alliance with the US and Japan.

He told the AFP news agency, “Protecting President Yoon means protecting our country’s security from threats from North Korea.”

Meanwhile, members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, South Korea’s largest umbrella union, attempted to march to Yoon’s residence to protest against him but were blocked by police.

In scuffles with the police on Saturday, the union reported that two of its members were detained and several others were hurt.

Before the court’s order expires on Monday, investigators may still submit a second warrant to arrest Yoon. If the warrant lapses, investigators may also apply for another.