South Korea’s political crisis is deepening. Police have now been called-in to arrest the impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol. He's been evading anti-corruption authorities for days, prompting tens of thousands of people to protest on the streets. But police have so far declined to take charge saying the request has been deemed legally controversial.
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TVTranscript
00:00Tension on the streets of Seoul, as die-hard supporters and opponents of the impeached
00:08South Korean president stare each other down.
00:12For days, anti-corruption officials have been seeking to arrest Yoon Song-yeol, who remains
00:17holed up in his residential compound.
00:19But a human wall of 200 presidential security personnel have blocked their way.
00:26With the clock ticking down on the warrant's deadline, prosecutors have lodged an urgent
00:30extension as public anger deepens.
00:33I live nearby and even when it snows or when the weather is cold, we need to keep coming
00:39here to protest.
00:40So I will keep coming out to rally until the president is impeached.
00:46I came here to protect the president and my country for the next generation.
00:51One of Mr Yoon's lawyers came to thank those gathered near the presidential residence for
00:55their support.
00:56But with no clear path forward, anti-corruption officials in Seoul have now asked for police
01:02to take over the execution of the arrest warrant.
01:05The passion on both sides here is visceral and the political stakes are high.
01:11But authorities seem paralysed passing responsibility for the arrest around and relying on legal
01:17arguments to justify the failure to execute the warrant.
01:20And while all this chaos continues, North Korea launched its first ballistic missile
01:25of the year into the East Sea, reminding Secretary Blinken and the South Korean government
01:31that Pyongyang is watching on.