Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol issued a defiant statement to his conservative supporters gathered outside his residence in the capital of Seoul, vowing to “fight to the end” against what he called “anti-state forces”.
It comes as law enforcement prepared to detain him over last month’s martial law decree.
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials has a week to execute its detainment warrant against Mr Yoon, issued by a Seoul court on Tuesday.
The warrant came after Mr Yoon defied several requests to appear for questioning and blocked searches of his office, hindering an investigation into whether his short-lived power grab on December 3 amounted to rebellion.
Oh Dong-woon, the anti-corruption agency’s chief prosecutor, has indicated that police forces might be deployed if Mr Yoon’s security service resists the detention attempt, which could occur as early as Thursday. But it remains unclear whether Mr Yoon can be compelled to submit to questioning.
In a message to hundreds of supporters gathered outside his residence on Wednesday evening, Mr Yoon said he would continue to fight against anti-state forces “violating our sovereignty” and putting the nation in “danger”.
The National Assembly voted last week to also impeach prime minister Han Duck-soo, who had assumed the role of acting president after Mr Yoon’s powers were suspended, over his reluctance to fill three Constitutional Court vacancies ahead of the court’s review of Mr Yoon’s case.
In the face of growing pressure, the country’s new interim leader, deputy prime minister Choi Sang-mok, appointed two new justices on Tuesday, which possibly increased the chances of the court upholding Mr Yoon’s impeachment.
