Suspended South Korean President Jun Sok-yol evaded arrest for the third day in a row on Thursday. He is staying at the presidential residence in Seoul, where his bodyguards again prevented the police from detaining him. TASR informs about it based on the AFP report.
The arrest warrant for Jun Sok-jol was issued on Tuesday in connection with the investigation into the Dec. 3 declaration of martial law. Jun had been summoned for questioning three times before, but he ignored the summons each time. The controversial declaration of martial law is being investigated by the prosecutor’s office and a joint team of the police, the Ministry of Defense and the anti-corruption office.
In addition to the arrest warrant, which expires on January 6, the court also issued a search warrant. According to Jun’s lawyer, both orders are “illegal and void” because they were issued at the request of an authority that does not have investigative powers.
Both his supporters and opponents camped out in front of Jun’s residence. The police tried to push them out of there on Thursday. In a statement to the protesters, Jun warned that South Korea’s sovereignty was being threatened by “internal and external forces”. Through his lawyer, Jun said he will “fight to the bitter end to protect this nation.”
Jun Sok-yol surprisingly declared martial law on December 3, when parliament was debating next year’s budget. However, the opposition-controlled parliament used its veto power, which Jun had to respect, and lifted martial law after a few hours.
Subsequently, on December 14, the deputies voted to start the impeachment, which will be decided by the Constitutional Court. Meanwhile, Jun has been suspended from office.
The declaration of martial law plunged South Korea into its worst political crisis in decades. Tensions escalated last week when parliament also approved the dismissal of interim President Han Tok-su. He was initiated by the opposition for refusing to complete the impeachment. Choe Sang-mok thus became the new interim president.
Source: spravy.pravda.sk
