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Rival South Korea camps face off as president holds out / Photo: Philip FONG - AFP
Rival South Korea camps face off as president holds out
Rival camps of South Korean protesters faced off in chaotic scenes outside the presidential compound Thursday, some trying to protect the impeached president inside from arrest, as others called for his immediate detention.
President Yoon Suk Yeol was last month impeached by lawmakers over his ill-fated martial law declaration and investigators probing him over insurrection have a warrant to detain him which they have vowed to execute before Monday.
But hundreds of Yoon's die-hard supporters, including far-right YouTube personalities and evangelical Christian leaders, gathered outside his compound in Seoul, facing off with the anti-Yoon camp and riot police.
One woman threw herself in front of a police bus, spreading her arms across the windshield, while other Yoon supporters lay down in the street -- eyes closed, arms crossed in front of them -- when police attempted to move them.
One protester, Park Shi-dong 74, told AFP he was there to "fight to the death to save liberal democracy," saying Yoon's imposition of martial law was justified and he should not be removed from office.
"Impeachment invalid" the protestors yelled as they waved South Korean flags and red lightsticks.
"Yoon Suk Yeol, Yoon Suk Yeol, we protect! We protect!" they yelled.
Dozens of people were livestreaming the protests on YouTube channels, AFP reporters saw.
- 'Stop the injustice'-
On Wednesday, Yoon sent a message to the hardline supporters outside his residence, telling them he was watching them on YouTube and urging them to help him "defend democracy" and "fight to the end".
The opposition and experts decried his move, claiming it was an attempt to weaponise his most extreme protesters, and warning it could lead to violence.
But Yoon supporters like Kim Sang-bae, 63, said they would not leave the area, as they were desperate to "stop the injustice" of the sitting president being arrested -- a first in South Korean history.
Yoon's lawyers have said they believe the arrest warrant is illegal and his security team has previously refused to honour search warrants.
The president himself has refused the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO)'s summons three times -- which is what prompted them to seek to detain him for questioning.
Local media reported that one pro-Yoon protester was arrested on charges of obstructing police.
- Anti-Yoon -
Close by, hundreds of anti-Yoon protesters staged a rival rally, singing the national anthem as scores of riot police struggled to keep the opposing camps separated.
One anti-Yoon demonstrator Bae Hoon, 46, said that they "were struck on the head and assaulted repeatedly", by Yoon's supporters when they tried to hold a press conference.
"I felt that if we had stayed just five more minutes, a serious incident could have occurred," Bae added, saying police tried to help but were outnumbered.
"The pro-Yoon crowd was overwhelming, with around 500 to 600 people surrounding us, and more kept joining... leading to assaults and verbal abuse," Bae added.
Yoon is facing a final Constitutional Court ruling on his impeachment, plus jail time or even the death penalty on the insurrection charges.
One protester, No Seung-gap, 52, waved a huge flag that read: 'Execute Yoon Suk Yeol'.
"I couldn't sleep for days so I came out here in frustration," he said, adding that unless people took to the streets, the investigators probing Yoon seemed "ineffective".
"Please let the world know that the South Korean people won't stand for this ridiculous attempt to destroy our democracy," he added.
L.Herrero--HdM
