Thousands of demonstrators from rival South Korea converged on the capital a day after a failed attempt to arrest the country's suspended President Yun Seok-Yeong for invoking the brief martial law that led to his impeachment.
The country has been in political turmoil since last month, with Yun defiantly barricaded in the presidential palace surrounded by hundreds of loyal security guards who have resisted efforts by prosecutors to arrest him.
On Saturday, thousands of protesters supporting Yun gathered in front of his official residence and along major roads in Seoul, demanding his arrest and calling for his impeachment to be declared null and void.
Kim Chul-hong, 60, a supporter of Mr. Yoon, said his arrest could undermine South Korea's security alliances with the United States and Japan.
“Protecting President Yoon means protecting our country's security from the threat posed by North Korea,” he said.
Members of the Korea Democratic Labor Federation, South Korea's largest general labor union, tried to march to Yoon's residence to demonstrate against him, but were stopped by police.
Two members were arrested and several others were injured in the clash, the statement said.
Mr. Yin faces criminal charges of insurrection, one of the few crimes not subject to presidential immunity, which could carry a prison sentence or even the death penalty.
If the warrant is executed, Yoon will become the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested.
Investigators asked Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, who took office as acting president a week ago, to support the warrant by ordering the presidential security bureau to cooperate.
The agency announced that two high-ranking officials rejected the police's request for an investigation, citing the “serious nature” of Yoon's protection.
In a scene of major drama on Friday, Mr Yoon's security guards and military personnel protected him from investigators, but the attempt to arrest him was ultimately called off, citing safety concerns.
The confrontation reportedly involved shoving but no shots were fired, but the warrant remains in limbo and the court order is set to expire on Monday.
The CIO may try to arrest him again by then. If the warrant lapses, you can apply for another warrant.
The Constitutional Court has scheduled the impeachment trial against Yun to begin on January 14th, and the impeachment trial will be held if Yun is absent.
Former Presidents Roh Moo-hyun and Park Geun-hye did not appear in court during the impeachment proceedings.
Yun's lawyer denounced Friday's arrest attempt as “illegal and invalid” and vowed to take legal action.
Experts said investigators may wait until there is greater legal legitimacy before attempting to arrest the suspended president again.
Choi Jin-won of Kyung Hee University's Humanitas College said, “It may be difficult to carry out an arrest until the Constitutional Court makes a judgment on impeachment and strips the president of his title.''
Yun told right-wing supporters this week that he would fight “to the end” for political survival.
The United States, South Korea's key security ally, called on political leaders to work toward a “stable path” forward.
Outgoing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to hold talks in Seoul on Monday, focusing on US-South Korea relations and nuclear-armed North Korea.
