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Police in South Korea are making elaborate security arrangements to deal with what they say could be the “worst-case” scenario on the day of the final verdict in president Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment trial.
Mr Yoon is awaiting a Constitutional Court ruling on whether his impeachment by the National Assembly for imposing martial law on 3 December is valid.
If the court upholds the parliamentary decision, Mr Yoon will be formally removed as president.
The ruling is expected as soon as this week. Mr Yoon gave his final statement last month, closing the trial that began in January.
Police say heightened security is needed as both supporters and opponents of Mr Yoon are expected to turn out in large numbers on the day of the ruling, in keeping with the trend of thousands of people coming out on days of significant developments in the saga involving Mr Yoon and causing chaos.
Acting commissioner general of the National Police Agency won’t rule out the use of pepper spray and batons in case of violence. “We are setting up plans considering the worst-case scenarios,” Lee Ho Young said.
Park Hyun Soo, acting chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, plans to “mobilise all available equipment” such as barricades and “designate the area within 100 metres of the Constitutional Court as a protest-free zone, effectively creating a ‘vacuum’ in that space”.
“Clashes in and around the Constitutional Court must be prevented,” he said. “We must protect the Constitutional Court justices while also preventing conflicts between opposing groups on the impeachment issue.”
He is also considering deploying police special forces to “respond to bomb threats”.
The subway station near the Constitutional Court will be closed and trains may not stop at other stations where rallies are expected, the Seoul Metro announced.
The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, meanwhile, is advising six schools near the court to take extra safety measures.
Kim Eun Mi, an official at the education office told Reuters that at least one school will remain closed on the day of the ruling.
“Security has to be tighter than ever, as you can imagine how precarious this situation can get,” a police official told Reuters, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
The alert will be “at the highest level”, the official said, similar to when the Constitutional Court handed down the verdict in the case of former president Park Geun Hye, who was impeached over corruption charges and removed from office in 2017. At least three people were killed and dozens hurt during demonstrations after that ruling.
Mr Yoon was detained on 15 January but freed on Saturday after prosecutors decided not to appeal the Seoul Central District Court’s decision canceling his arrest on Friday.
The court cancelled the president’s arrest warrant citing the timing of his indictment and “questions about the legality” of the investigation process.
TV footage showed Mr Yoon coming out of a prison in Seoul, waving his hand and bowing to his supporters.
The president declared martial law in December, throwing South Korea into turmoil. He banned political activity and sent armed soldiers inside the parliament, which nonetheless reversed his decision within six hours.
If Mr Yoon is removed with the Constitutional Court’s ruling, a new presidential election will be held within 60 days.
Mr Yoon is separately facing a criminal trial on charges of insurrection, one of the few criminal offences the South Korean president does not enjoy immunity from. He is the country’s first sitting to stand trial in a criminal case.