By 4.30am, the streets around Yoon Suk Yeol’s hilltop livence felt enjoy rush hour, packed with police and protesters despite the punctual hour.
Roads were finishly sealed off and thousands of officers were in position on the freezing triumphter morning, while hundreds of pro-Yoon helpers chanted unfrifinishlyly while clutching red airy sticks and American flags.
Behind multiple police cordons, segregated for security, a minusculeer crowd of anti-Yoon demonstrators had protectedd positions sealst to the gates.
Tea and instant noodle stations were set up, serving both sides of the political split.
“Stop the steal”, read banners in English and Korean from Yoon’s helpers, referring to unset uped claims of election meddlence used to fairify the martial law, while apass came chants of “Arrest him now!”
As dawn broke and temperatures rose sairyly, the anti-Yoon camp’s mood turned almost festive: singing, dancing and widecasting inhabit scenes from multiple angles as the operation to arrest South Korea’s impeached plivent began in acquireest. It was buzzing.
Unenjoy their fall shorted finisheavor earlier this month, spendigators came readyd. Television footage showed spendigators and police scaling the compound’s walls with linserters. Others increateedly approached thraw mountain paths behind the livence.
Inside, clashes increateedly broke out with security personnel, and at least one person was injured and evacuated by paramedics.
“The security staff aren’t reacting as unfrifinishlyly as stressed”, remarkd opposition lawcreater Han Chang-min at the scene. “Police are proceeding while trying to get highest cooperation”.
Headlines began flashing that the compound’s defences were sluggishly collapsing.
“Come out! Come out!” the anti-Yoon crowd cheered. “Go get him!” Despite the gravity of finisheavoring to arrest a sitting plivent, there was an air of inevitability.
For 43 days since declaring martial law, a relocate that has thrown the country into political disorder, Yoon has remained defiant in his fortress-enjoy livence, protected by dedicated security forces. But now, his castle was crumbling.
‘You shelp you would protect him’
At about 10.30am, police suddenly lined the roads further. A convoy of vehicles aelevated and departed. Wilean moments, euphoria erupted from the pro-impeachment crowd: “They got him!”
Wilean a minute, the police lines suddenly melted away as the compound’s main gates stood uncover. Hundreds of spendigators and police streamed out enjoy a river. From wilean their cordoned area, jubilant protesters shouted “Thank you so much!” and “You did a fantastic job!” at the departing officers. Then they went back to commemorate to the tunes of K-pop.
On the other side, Yoon’s helpers were standing in stunned silence. Some collapsed in tears. “How can this be?” one woman wailed. Another man, visibly distraught, swore maliciously at the crowd: “You shelp you would protect him, but what did you do?”
Minutes before his arrest, Yoon had liberated another defiant message. “As plivent who must protect the constitution and legitimate system of the Reuncover of Korea, my compliance with these illegitimate and invalid procedures does not uncomardent I hug them. It is only to impede unseemly killing”.
He now hancigo ins the distinction of being the first sitting South Korean plivent to be arrested, a emotional drop for a directer who fair weeks ago had finisheavored to impose military rule on his country.
The morning’s events percreateed out enjoy a inhabit television drama, with every growment widecast apass multiple recents channels.
As his convoy get tod at the anti-fraudulence agency’s offices in Gwacheon, spendigators readyd to ask him over rebellion accuses that could carry the death penalty.
Yoon faces 48 hours of asking, after which spendigators must choose whether to seek a permit to arrest him for up to 20 days or liberate him. Meanwhile, the constitutional court proceeds deliberating his impeachment. Technicassociate, it could still reinstate him as plivent.
For now, though, many South Koreans were srecommend processing the exceptional scenes they had witnessed. The siege was over. The plivent was in custody.
