South Korea’s Conservatives Are Trying to Cling to Power
South Korea’s right-wing president, Yoon Suk-yeol, has finally been arrested after his attempt to stage a coup. But Yoon’s supporters are still mobilizing aggressively, hoping that Donald Trump will take their side over false claims of electoral fraud.
Dozens of protesters gather in front of the Seoul Western District Court, holding a banner that reads, “Illegal Arrest Warrant for the President, Condemnation of Judge Shin Han-mi – Press Conference,” in Seoul, South Korea, on January 17, 2025. (Chris Jung / NurPhoto via Getty Images)
On January 15, law enforcement officials finally arrested Yoon Suk-yeol, South Korea’s impeached far-right president, for plotting an insurrection in the form of an attempt to impose martial law late last year. This came twelve days after a humiliating failed attempt by an anti-corruption agency to capture Yoon, who had been holed up in his presidential residence in southern Seoul.
The scene, livestreamed on YouTube, was nothing short of spectacular, with more than 1,200 elite detectives trained in martial arts and the control of felons storming the residence in their predawn raid. This time, soldiers and many of Yoon’s security detail members chose to stay in their barracks instead of forming human shields as they had during the previous attempt.
Under South Korean law, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) can hold Yoon for forty-eight hours before it seeks a detention warrant. Given the gravity of his crime, punishable by life imprisonment or even death, and the country’s stringent bail practices, the sitting president-turned-coup-ringleader will likely remain behind bars until his sentencing.
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