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South Korea’s Yoon to accept court decision even if it ends presidency, lawyer says

South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol will accept the Constitutional Court hearing the parliamentary impeachment case even if it decides to remove the suspended leader, his lawyer said on Thursday. revealed.

Yoon's lawyer, Yoon Kap-gun, said at a press conference, “Therefore, if the decision is 'dismissal,' we have no choice but to accept it.''

Decisions from the court, which is one of the country's two highest courts along with the Supreme Court, cannot be appealed.

President Yun Seok-Yeol said on December 14 that she would “step down” after the parliament voted to dismiss him, and called for an end to the “politics of excess and confrontation.” South Korean presidential office, Yonhap News/AFP, via Getty Images

Mr. Yoon had ignored the Constitutional Court's request to submit legal briefs before the court began its hearing on December 27, but his lawyers said they were prepared for Mr. Yoon to appear in person to make his argument. He said there is.

The suspended president was the first sitting president to be served with an arrest warrant after failing to respond to repeated summonses in a separate criminal investigation into his role in masterminding the riots that preceded the declaration of martial law on Dec. 3.

According to Yun's lawyer, the president is currently at his official residence in Seoul and is in good health.

Presidential guards resisted initial efforts to arrest Yun last week, but he was arrested again as top investigators vowed to do whatever it takes to break the security lockdown and capture him. There is a possibility that you will be arrested.

Seok Dong-hyun, another lawyer who is advising Mr. Yoon, said that Mr. Yoon believed that the attempted arrest was politically motivated and that he would humiliate Mr. Yoon by exposing him in public while he was handcuffed. He said he considered this to be the purpose.

Supporters of South Korean President Yoon hold a rally near the presidential palace in Seoul, South Korea, on January 8, 2025. Jung Hong-kyun/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

He cited media reports that said police were planning to deploy armored vehicles and helicopters and deploy special police units to the presidential palace in an effort to arrest Yoon.

Sok said Yoon and his advisers view the unfolding situation as an ideological war between those committed to liberal democracy and those opposed to it.

“Our argument is that if something goes wrong, there could be a civil war,” Sok said.

Yun said he declared martial law to wipe out “anti-national” forces that are paralyzing government functions and threatening democracy.

On Tuesday, the head of the Office of the Corruption Investigation (CIO), which is leading the investigation, apologized for failing to arrest Yun after a standoff with hundreds of Presidential Security Service (PSS) officers, some of whom Owns a firearm and is a military security guard.

When parliamentarians called for tough action to threaten Yun's safety, Mr. Oh did not object, but declined to say what options were being considered.

Yun said the president's arrest warrant was issued by a court in the wrong jurisdiction and was illegal because the CIO did not have the authority to investigate a sitting president for insurrection.

Rather, if the prosecution has evidence to indict Mr. Yoon or request a formal detention warrant, Mr. Yoon will likely cooperate.

Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol raise South Korean and U.S. flags in front of a ceremonial wreath of artificial flowers with messages of support near his official residence in Seoul on January 9, 2025. AFP (via Getty Images)

Hundreds of demonstrators supporting Yoon and calling for his arrest have braved subzero temperatures to rally in front of his residence in recent days.

That number dropped Thursday as temperatures dropped below -50 degrees Fahrenheit, the lowest on record this winter.

Lawyer Yoon said the president was concerned about the safety of his supporters gathered outside the official residence.

“You know, the weather has been really cold lately and it's not going to end anytime soon. They're working all day long and late into the night, so he (the president) is very sorry and grateful.” said the lawyer.

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