SEOUL, April 2 (UPI) — South Korean acting President Han Duck-soo on Wednesday called for the nation to “calmly and coolly” accept the upcoming Constitutional Court verdict on the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol amid growing concerns over public unrest.
“Public interest and tension are heightened, and political chaos and social conflicts are continuing,” Han said at a meeting to coordinate public safety measures ahead of the ruling, which is scheduled for Friday. “No matter what decision is made, we must calmly and coolly accept the results according to the principle of the rule of law.”
Yoon was impeached on Dec. 14 by the National Assembly over his shocking and short-lived declaration of martial law.
The Constitutional Court has the final say on whether to formally remove Yoon from office. It heard the final arguments of a lengthy trial on Feb. 25 and a decision was widely expected by mid-March, based on the timelines of two previous impeachment proceedings.
The drawn-out deliberation process has sparked massive rallies on both sides of the issue, with hundreds of thousands of anxious protesters descending on central Seoul each weekend.
Han on Wednesday asked politicians to “refrain from making remarks that may provoke or induce illegal demonstrations and violence.” He also vowed that the government would make safety and public order its top priorities before and after the court’s sentence.
“We will mobilize all our police and administrative forces to thoroughly prepare to prevent any unfortunate incident,” Han said. “In particular, we ask that the police strengthen the security of the Constitutional Court justices and thoroughly prepare to maintain the safety of major facilities such as the Constitutional Court and diplomatic facilities without any loopholes.”
South Korea’s acting police chief issued an order Wednesday placing the country’s entire police force on the highest-level security alert ahead of the ruling.
Some 14,000 officers will be mobilized on Friday, acting chief Lee Ho-young said, with police creating a “vacuum state” around the Constitutional Court by completely sealing off the area.
“It is feared after the court ruling that some of the crowd may stage extreme and violent protests, leading to accidents,” Lee said. “Full police powers will be mobilized to prevent serious social conflict.”
The United States Embassy in Seoul on Wednesday advised American citizens to avoid large crowds and demonstrations related to the verdict.
“Most demonstrations in South Korea are peaceful,” the embassy said in an alert. “However, avoid areas where demonstrations are taking place, and exercise caution in the vicinity of any large crowds, gatherings, protests or rallies. Even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence.”
The advisory echoes a similar warning about political rallies issued by the Chinese Embassy, which said that “extreme incidents cannot be ruled out.”
“Keep a distance from local political gatherings, do not participate, do not stay, do not watch, do not publish or forward political remarks publicly, and try to avoid verbal or physical conflicts with local people,” the embassy said on its official WeChat account Tuesday.
Public demonstrations, particularly those held by Yoon’s supporters, have at times turned violent. In January, dozens of angry protesters stormed Seoul’s Western District Court after Yoon was formally arrested for his martial law attempt, breaking windows, destroying property and injuring 17 police officers.
If at least six of the eight sitting Constitutional Court justices vote to uphold the impeachment, Yoon will be immediately removed from office and a snap presidential election must be held within 60 days. He would become the second South Korean president to leave office through impeachment, after President Park Geun-hye in 2017.
After Park’s impeachment was confirmed by the court, violent protests erupted, leaving four dead and 63 injured.
Public opinion remains strongly in favor of Yoon’s removal from office. In a survey released Friday by pollster Gallup Korea, 60% percent of respondents said Yoon’s impeachment should be upheld, while 34% said it should be dismissed.
Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the opposition Democratic Party, said Wednesday he expected a “reasonable” decision from the court.
“It is regrettable that the credibility of the Republic of Korea has decreased and national chaos has continued during this period,” Lee said during a party meeting held in downtown Seoul. “Now that the sentencing date has been designed, we will wait along with the public for the court to draw a reasonable conclusion based on the ideals and values of the Constitution.”
