Tens of thousands – 44,000 according to police – of demonstrators who chanted slogans in support of Yoon Suk Yeol and some of whom held signs reading “free the president” had earlier gathered in front of the court and marched confronted the police.
Forty demonstrators arrested
Forty demonstrators were arrested in total following violence, particularly committed against members of the police, a local police official told AFP. Yoon Suk Yeol, who plunged South Korea into its worst political crisis in decades, spoke for 40 minutes before the judges, Yonhap news agency reported. His lawyer told AFP that he hoped to “restore his honor”.
He “gave explanations and answered faithfully on the facts, evidence and legal questions,” Yoon Kab-keun told reporters after the hearing which ended after about five hours. Yoon Suk Yeol then left the building in a blue Justice Ministry van heading to the Seoul detention center where he is being held.
The Corruption Investigation Office (CIO), which is leading the investigations, said in a statement that two vehicles carrying members of its team had been attacked by protesters, “creating a dangerous situation”. The IOC will “demand that the police (impose) strict sanctions based on the evidence collected regarding these actions”.
A president who thanks the “passionate patriotism” of his supporters
Yoon Suk Yeol sent a letter via his lawyers on Friday thanking his supporters, including evangelical Christians and right-wing YouTubers, for their protests, paying tribute to their “passionate patriotism”. On Saturday, protesters, waving South Korean and American flags, occupied the main roads in front of the court.
-Yoon Suk Yeol’s party generally favors the U.S. security alliance with South Korea and rejects any engagement with nuclear-armed North Korea.
The court’s decision to keep the head of state in detention gives prosecutors time to formalize an indictment for insurrection, which would make him liable to life in prison or execution if convicted . Such a charge would mean Yoon Suk Yeol would likely be detained for the duration of his trial.
A first
He is accused of having destabilized his country by introducing martial law by surprise on December 3, a coup however quickly thwarted by the deputies, within a Parliament surrounded by soldiers. According to him, this measure was intended to protect South Korea from “North Korean communist forces” and to “eliminate elements hostile to the state”. He was arrested on January 15 at his official residence, a first in South Korea for a serving head of state.
The National Assembly voted on December 14 for an impeachment motion against him, causing his suspension. However, he officially remains the president, with only the Constitutional Court having the power to strip him of his title. In this procedure parallel to the ongoing investigations, this court has until mid-June to permanently dismiss him or decide to reinstate him in his functions.
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