It was 4:30 in the morning and the streets surrounding the residence of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol seemed like rush hour, packed with police and protesters despite how early it was.
With the roads completely cordoned off and thousands of agents [han sido desplegados unos 3.000 efectivos]hundreds of Yoon supporters chanted aggressively on the frigid winter morning, waving red light sticks and American flags.
Separated by multiple police cordons, a smaller group of anti-Yoon protesters had managed to position themselves closer to the gate.
For both sides there were street tea and instant noodle stalls. “Stop the steal,” read, in English and Korean, the banners that Yoon’s supporters carried in reference to the unfounded accusations of electoral interference with which they justified martial law. “Arrest him now!” was heard from the other side.
Dawn broke, the temperatures rose slightly, and the atmosphere on the side opposite Yoon became almost festive. Singing, dancing and live broadcasts with shots from different angles recording the operation to arrest, now, the dismissed president of South Korea. That was a hive.
This time the agents came prepared, not like in the first frustrated attempt at the beginning of the month. In television images you could see police and agents climbing the walls of the complex with ladders. Apparently, there were others approaching on the mountain roads behind the residence.
Inside there were clashes with security personnel and at least one person was evacuated after being injured. “Security employees are not reacting as aggressively as feared,” opposition lawmaker Han Chang-min said at the scene. “Police are proceeding while trying to obtain maximum cooperation.”
According to the headlines, the defenses of the compound were giving way little by little. “Salt! “Come out!” cheered the crowd of Yoon’s opponents. “Go for it!” Despite the seriousness of the events, trying to arrest a sitting president, there was some inevitability in the air.
Since martial law was enacted, a measure that plunged the country into political chaos, Yoon had spent 43 days in defiance in his fortress residence thanks to the loyalty of members of his security personnel. But now his castle was falling apart.
Celebrations and lamentations
Suddenly, the police made lines to clear the streets around 10:30 in the morning. A caravan of vehicles left the premises and left. Euphoria erupted among impeachment supporters: “They got it!”
In less than a minute, the main doors of the premises opened and the police broke up the lines. A river of hundreds of agents and police leaving. Behind the cordoned off area, protesters shouted exultantly at the departing officers. “Thank you so much! You have done a great job!” Then, they celebrated again to the sound of K-pop songs.
On the other side, Yoon’s supporters remained silent. Some were crying. “How can it be?” one woman lamented. Another man, visibly distraught, cursed the crowd: “You said you would protect him, but what did you do?”
Minutes before he was arrested, Yoon had sent another defiant message. “As a president who must protect the Constitution and legal system of the Republic of Korea, my agreement to these illegal and invalid procedures does not imply my acceptance. It’s just to avoid some nasty bloodshed.”
Yoon has achieved the dubious honor of being the first South Korean president to be detained while in office, a dramatic fall for a leader who only weeks ago was trying to impose military rule.
The morning’s events were seen live as if they were a television fiction, with multiple news channels broadcasting each of the key moments.
As his motorcade arrived at the anti-corruption agency’s offices in Gwacheon, officers prepared to question him on a charge of insurrection that carries the death penalty.
Yoon now faces a 48-hour detention for questioning. Afterwards, investigators will decide whether to release him or request an order to keep him detained for up to 20 days. Meanwhile, the Constitutional Court continues to deliberate on his dismissal. Technically, there is still a chance that he will be reinstated as president.
For now, many South Koreans have enough to process the extraordinary images they have just witnessed. The siege is over. The president has been arrested.
Translation by Francisco de Zárate.
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