Seoul, April 1 (IANS) South Korean police have decided to deploy some 14,000 personnel in Seoul, according to sources familiar with the matter on Tuesday, as the Constitutional Court is poised to rule on South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment case later this week.
The court said it will deliver its verdict on whether to dismiss or reinstate Yoon over his failed martial law bid on Friday. For months, political polarisation has deepened between supporters and opponents of Yoon’s impeachment over his failed martial law bid.
The National Police Agency placed police forces on the “Gapho” alert, the highest level that puts all available police forces on emergency standby, starting Thursday midnight.
In addition, police will immediately arrest those who attempt to break into the Constitutional Court compound and have beefed up security services for all Constitutional Court justices.
Should Yoon decide to attend the court for the verdict, police will take measures to secure the pathway from the Presidential residence to the Constitutional Court, and separate the protesters calling for or against Yoon’s impeachment on the way.
Yoon’s legal representatives said a decision was yet to be made on whether Yoon will attend the court on Friday, Yonhap news agency reported.
Shortly after the court’s announcement of a date for Yoon’s impeachment ruling, anti-Yoon protesters near Gwanghwamun Square, where they were holding an overnight sit-in, welcomed it and shouted “immediate ouster” of the suspended President.
Yoon Bok-nam, the President of Lawyers for a Democratic Society, also known as Minbyun, told reporters that the date for Yoon’s impeachment ruling “came much too late, but it is still a relief”.
However, pro-Yoon protesters near the Constitutional Court chanted “dismiss impeachment” while waving Korean and American flags.
Police had reportedly mobilised some 3,200 personnel near the Constitutional Court as of Tuesday afternoon following the court’s announcement.
They plan to turn the area around the court into a “vacuum state” by blocking access by the public, prompting pro-Yoon groups to remove tents installed near the court.
–IANS
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