Thousands have braved heavy snow in Seoul to rally for and against arresting Yoon Suk Yeol as South Korea’s political crisis appears headed toward another high-stakes confrontation.
With an arrest warrant against Yoon for expiring at midnight (2am AEDT) on Monday, multiple groups held demonstrations near his official residence, some urging his immediate arrest and others protesting against it.
Yoon became the country’s first sitting president to face arrest over his botched attempt to declare martial law on December 3, which triggered political chaos engulfing Asia’s fourth-largest economy.
The conservative president was impeached by parliament and is suspended from official duties while a 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 troops in a six-hour stand-off.
Some of Sunday’s protesters had gathered overnight in downtown Seoul, where temperatures fell below minus 5C.
More than 5cm of snow piled up in parts of the capital, which was under a heavy snow warning.
“We have to re-establish the foundation of our society by punishing the president who has denied the constitution,” said Yang Kyung-soo, leader of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), a major labour group that participated in the protests.
“We must bring down the criminal Yoon Suk Yeol and arrest and detain him as soon as possible.”
Nearby, Yoon supporters held placards reading “We will fight for President Yoon Suk Yeol” and “Stop the Steal”, a phrase popularised by US President-elect Donald Trump’s supporters after he lost the 2020 election.
Similar rallies drew tens of thousands on Saturday, prompting police to try to disperse union protesters occupying roads and disrupting traffic.
On Saturday, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, which leads Yoon’s criminal investigation, again asked acting President Choi Sang-mok, the finance minister, to order the security service to comply with the arrest warrant.
A finance ministry spokesperson declined to comment.