South Korea's Yoon resists arrest over martial law bid
The Hindu
Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol resists arrest, sparking political turmoil and facing potential life imprisonment.
Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was resisting arrest for a third day on Thursday (January 2, 2025) after vowing to "fight" authorities seeking to question him over his failed martial law bid.
The embattled leader issued the bungled declaration on December 3 that led to his impeachment and has left him facing arrest, imprisonment or, at worst, the death penalty.
Supporters and opponents of Yoon have since camped outside his Presidential residence, while members of his security team have blocked attempted police raids in a dramatic stand-off.
Yoon has gone to ground but remained unrepentant as the crisis has rolled on, issuing a defiant message to his base days before a warrant expires on January 6.
"The Republic of Korea is currently in danger due to internal and external forces threatening its sovereignty, and the activities of anti-state elements," he said in a statement passed around to protesters, his lawyer Yoon Kab-keun confirmed to AFP.
"I vow to fight alongside you to the very end to protect this nation," he added, saying he was watching the hundreds-strong protest Wednesday evening on a YouTube live stream.
The impeached leader remains in the capital Seoul, the lawyer confirmed to AFP.
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