South Korea’s impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol vows to ‘fight until end’
Share:
Letter rallying supporters comes as he faces arrest over declaration of martial law and allegations of insurrection. South Korea’s impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol, has rallied his supporters in a letter saying he will “fight until the end” as he faces an attempt by authorities to arrest him over his short-lived declaration of martial law, a lawyer said.
![[Yoon Suk Yeol speaking at a podium]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/43e13acfcbe50f723945e9a41b5904a4f1fb8841/1793_0_3078_3847/master/3078.jpg?width=120&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
“I am watching on YouTube live all the hard work you are doing,” Yoon wrote late on Wednesday to the hundreds of supporters who had gathered near his official residence to protest against the investigation into him. “I will fight until the end to protect this country together with you,” he said in the letter, a photo capture of which was sent to the media by Seok Dong-hyeon, a lawyer advising Yoon.
![[Police officers disperse pro-Yoon protesters outside the impeached president’s official residence in Seoul, 2 January 2025.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9ba2edd259d65cd9f3e36162ba41e985541c3282/0_0_5183_3110/master/5183.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
The opposition Democratic party, which has majority control of parliament and led the impeachment of Yoon on 14 December after his declaration of martial law on 3 December, said the letter proved Yoon was delusional and that he remained committed to completing his “insurrection”.
“As if trying to stage insurrection wasn’t enough, he is now inciting his supporters to an extreme clash,” a party spokesperson, Jo Seoung-lae, said in a statement. A court on Tuesday approved a warrant for Yoon’s arrest, which potentially would make him the first sitting president to be detained as part of investigations over allegations he masterminded insurrection by trying to impose martial law.
