South Korea: police refuse to arrest impeached President
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You're listening to the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. Hello, I'm Oliver Conway. We're recording this at 14 hours GMT on Monday the 6th of January. No end in sight to the political standoff in South Korea as police reject demands to arrest the impeached president. Forecasters predict the heaviest snowfall for a decade in parts of the US and Russia says it's captured a key town in eastern Ukraine.
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Demi Moore wins her first major acting award. As we record this podcast, South Korea's impeached President Yoon Seung-yool looks set to evade arrest once again. Prosecutors have been unable to execute a warrant which is due to expire shortly. It was issued over the president's short-lived attempt to impose martial law last month. Mr Yoon has been suspended but has remained defiant, and his security guards have been blocking attempts to detain him, even forming a human chain. Police have been asked to get involved, but they have declined. The latest twist in the political standoff coincides with a North Korean missile test, as well as a visit by the outgoing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Seoul.
He has expressed confidence in South Korea's democratic system.
Korea's democracy has been tested in recent weeks. just as American democracy has faced challenges throughout our history. But you are responding by demonstrating your democratic resilience. The United States has full confidence in South Korea's institutions, and we reaffirm our unwavering support for the Korean people as they work tirelessly to uphold those institutions.
Earlier, I got an update about events in South Korea from our Asia-Pacific regional editor, Celia Hatton.
Well, we're seeing quite dramatic scenes outside the president's residential compound where thousands of people, those in favour of the arrest going through and those against, those who are supporting the impeached president, are basically camped outside the residence in freezing temperatures, holding signs that say things like, we will fight and No impeachment. That's a reference to the fact that the Constitutional Court is deciding whether to uphold the impeachment that the parliament had passed just a few days ago. But really, this is a power struggle that's going on between Mr. Yoon and the security service that is sworn to protect him. Some are saying it's almost functioning like Mr. Yoon's private army at the moment.
And on the other side, the Corruption Investigation Office, which is actually headed by somebody who was appointed by Mr. Yoon in rosier days, who are trying to execute this arrest warrant. But those caught in between say, well, maybe the Corruption Investigation Office actually doesn't have the power to even work. request this arrest warrant. Apparently, they don't have, according to some, the ability to investigate charges of insurrection. And that's what Mr. Yoon has been accused of. And so that's where we are. It's an unprecedented moment, Oliver, because we've never seen in South Korea a president has never faced an arrest warrant before. And so the execution of it is really getting messy, while different groups of the police are
The corruption investigators, Mr. Yoon, and his security service all try to figure out who actually has the upper hand here.
Yeah, it all comes as the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits the country. What is the overall impact of this on South Korea?
Well, this is really remarkable. I mean, we heard that North Korea on the other side of the border is carrying out another missile test. So it's kind of taking advantage of this situation, this political crisis that's unfolding in South Korea. We have to remember that South Korea has an incredibly advanced economy.
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Speakers
20 identified
Oliver Conway 6 min
Celia Hatton 2 min
Will Ross 2 min
Danny Eberhard 2 min
Rob Watson 2 min
Emma Barnett 2 min
Pedro Sarmento 2 min
Andrew Peach 1 min
Josh Hartnett 1 min
Rodrigo Serra 1 min
Unknown Biologist 1 min
Adrien Brody
Aaron Shopper
Landon Harris
Demi Moore
Antony Blinken
Carl
Richard Hamilton
Antonio Fernandez
Oscar Piastri
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