Impeached President Yoon of South Korea is Finally Arrested
Noriko Watanabe, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
The impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea was finally arrested. This concerns his failed martial law order that led to the ongoing political crisis in South Korea.
The Guardian reports, “Yoon’s short-lived imposition of martial law plunged South Korea into its worst political crisis in decades after he sent soldiers to storm parliament, shaking the vibrant East Asian democracy and briefly sending it back to the dark days of military rule.”
Opposition forces immediately responded to the threat of martial law on 3 December. Accordingly, the convulsions of early December finally caught up with Yoon after he had vowed to “fight to the end” against “anti-state forces.”
The BBC reports, “Yoon Suk Yeol has become South Korea’s first sitting president to be arrested after investigators scaled barricades and cut through barbed wire to take him into custody.”
Yoon was suspended from political office after parliament impeached him. However, only the Constitutional Court can remove him from office. Therefore, the judgment of his impeachment needs to be ratified by the Constitutional Court.
His arrest is based on the ongoing investigation into his martial law actions. Hence, he faces the charge of insurrection.
The sight of witnessing approximately 1,000 officers sent to arrest Yoon and scaling walls is an image that looks far away from South Korea’s cherished democracy. Instead, it is a reminder of history that belongs to the Cold War period.
Yoon said, “I decided to appear before the CIO (Corruption Investigation Office), even though it is an illegal investigation, in order to prevent any unsavory bloodshed.”
Park Chan-dae (Democratic Party floor leader) declared that the arrest of Yoon “is the first step toward restoring constitutional order, democracy and the rule of law.”
Yonhap News reports, “The president has defended his declaration of martial law as an ‘act of governance’ meant to send a warning to the main opposition Democratic Party over what he described as its abuse of legislative power.”
The Independent reports, “If found guilty of insurrection, Mr Yoon could receive a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The death sentence is technically also a possibility, although analysts deem that to be a highly unlikely outcome.”
Opposition forces to Yoon also impeached the first acting President of South Korea, Han Duck-soo. Hence, Yoon and opposition political forces are taking polarizing stances. This bodes ill for South Korea. After all, the seriousness of the situation entails that bridges need to be built and not open confrontation.
Yoon’s declaration of martial law was dangerous. However, in the interest of South Korea, the constitution and safety checks need to be tightened after all sides in the political standoff reach a compromise.
Given the tense situation on the Korean Peninsula concerning North Korea, it is incumbent on the political elites in South Korea to seek a solution where divisions in society are ended.
A hefty prison sentence for Yoon isn’t in the interest of South Korea.
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