The Standoff

Rival protests erupted in Seoul over the weekend as thousands of South Koreans demanded either the arrest or exoneration of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, whose brief declaration of martial law in December plunged the country into political chaos, the Hill reported.

The protests come as an arrest warrant for Yoon on insurrection charges is set to expire at midnight on Monday, intensifying a standoff that has triggered a deep political divide and left the nation in turmoil.

Anti-Yoon protesters, led by labor unions, marched through heavy snow near the presidential residence, chanting for Yoon’s arrest and accusing him of violating the constitution, the Associated Press wrote.

Meanwhile, pro-Yoon supporters rallied nearby, calling his impeachment a politically driven attack and warning that his detention could destabilize South Korea’s alliances with the United States and Japan, Agence France-Presse noted.

Police erected barricades and barbed wire around Yoon’s residence as the rival groups clashed verbally, with occasional scuffles leading to arrests and injuries.

Lawmakers impeached Yoon last month after the conservative leader briefly declared martial law on Dec. 3, marking the first such decree in South Korea since 1980.

The move sparked nationwide outrage and swift parliamentary intervention to block the decree. Lawmakers accused Yoon of insurrection – a crime that carries severe penalties, including the death penalty – and demanded his accountability.

But the embattled leader, now confined to his residence and protected by loyal security forces, has refused to step down, saying he will fight “to the very end.”

Efforts to execute the arrest warrant faltered Friday after a dramatic six-hour standoff between investigators and Yoon’s guards.

Park Chong-jun, Yoon’s chief of security, refused to cooperate with the warrant, citing legal ambiguities and defending the security service’s 60-year history of nonpartisan service, according to Reuters.

Acting President Choi Sang-mok has been urged to intervene, but his response has remained cautious.

The constitutional court is scheduled to begin Yoon’s impeachment trial on Jan. 14, which could determine his political fate.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to visit South Korea on Monday, emphasizing the need for stability in the face of this escalating political crisis.