South Korean President’s Home Turned Into ‘Fortress’ Before Second Arrest Attempt

The home of the impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been barricaded with vehicles and barbed wire as authorities prepare for a second arrest attempt, the Telegraph reported on January 8.

Yoon’s home is “turning into a fortress,” said Youn Kun-young, an opposition lawmaker.

Martial law: President Yoon was impeached on Dec. 14, 2024, after imposing martial law and being forced to retract it a few hours later, plunging South Korea into its worst political crisis in decades. Yoon argued he invoked the law to protect the nation against powerful North Korea sympathizers within the government, but the unpopular president likely did it in a desperate move to stay in power.

Since then, Yoon has refused questioning and resisted arrest.

First attempt: Yoon avoided the first arrest attempt last week. He remained inside his home and told his supporters he would “fight to the end” against “anti-state forces.” When investigators attempted to enter his home, they were prevented from reaching him by approximately 200 presidential security service members.

Second attempt: A second arrest warrant has been issued. In response, hundreds of both opposing and supporting protesters rushed to Yoon’s barricaded home, braving below-zero temperatures.

Yoon’s supporters left flowers outside and adopted the Trump-like slogan “Make Korea great again” while waving American flags.

Rival protesters held up banners that read, “Detain, arrest insurrectionist Yoon Suk Yeol.”

Dying democracy: Many see the president’s recent moves as a threat to democracy, while others strongly support the impeached leader despite the arrest warrants. The current political unrest shows no signs of being resolved anytime soon.

These events are a troubling sign of a larger global trend: Democracies are destabilizing and geopolitical tensions are rising quickly.

While democracy is better than other forms of human governance, South Korea’s example shows that it is still utterly incapable of ruling men. To learn about the only true, lasting solution for governing mankind, read “Democracy Is Dying.”