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Written by Hyun Young Yi
SEOUL (Reuters) – Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has sent a letter to rally his supporters saying he will “fight to the end” as he faces an attempt by authorities to arrest him over the law. military 3 of Dec. the lawyer said on Thursday.
“I’m watching on YouTube live the hard work you’re doing,” Yoon wrote in a letter late Wednesday to an estimated hundreds of supporters who gathered near his official residence to protest his investigation.
“I will fight to the end to protect this country together with you,” he said in the letter, a photo sent to Reuters by Seok Dong-hyeon, a lawyer advising Yoon.
The opposition Democratic Party, which has majority control of parliament and spearheaded Yoon’s impeachment on December 14, said the letter proved Yoon was a liar and was still determined to end the “rebellion ” home.
“As if trying to stage a coup wasn’t enough, he is now inciting his supporters into extreme conflict,” party spokesman Jo Seoung-lae said in a statement.
A court on Tuesday approved an arrest warrant for Yoon, which would have made him the first sitting president to be held in custody as part of an investigation into allegations he plotted treason by trying to impose martial law. .
Treason is one of the few criminal charges in which the South Korean president is not immune.
The Corruption Investigation Office for Senior Officials (CIO), which leads a joint team of investigators including police and prosecutors, has until January 6 to implement the arrest warrant.
It was unclear when and how the arrests would be made and whether the presidential security service, which has blocked access by investigators with a search warrant for Yoon’s office and legal residence, would try to stop it. attempted arrest.
Separately, Yoon’s case regarding the impeachment is being heard at the Constitutional Court. The court will hold a second hearing on Friday. Yoon has been suspended from the presidency and Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok has taken over as acting president pending the outcome of the case.
If the court upholds the charge and Yoon is removed from office, new presidential elections will be held within 60 days.
Yoon Kab-keun, a lawyer for the impeached president, said the arrest warrant was illegal and wrong because the CIO had no authority under South Korean law to request a warrant.
A warrant for Yoon’s arrest and search of his office and residence was issued after a conservative prosecutor refused repeated requests from investigators to appear. questioned in a separate criminal investigation from the Constitutional Court case.
The former defense minister who officials said encouraged Yoon to declare martial law has been indicted on treason charges and will go on trial on Jan. 16. it is said to be a part.
