South Koreans rally as Yoon’s impeachment verdict nears

Hundreds of thousands of South Koreans are set to gather in Seoul in one of the largest protests since President Yoon Suk-yeol was impeached for his martial law declaration, as judges enter the final stretch of their deliberations on whether to confirm his ousting or reinstate him.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency expects some 350,000 people to amass across the capital on Saturday, according to its website. Groups leading the protests have reported to the police that they plan to march near some of Seoul’s landmarks, including the Gwanghwamun square and the National Assembly.

South Korea has been divided for months over Yoon’s unexpected martial law imposition and led to his suspension from office. Rallies have occurred in Seoul almost every weekend either for or against Yoon since the Constitutional Court began to examine the parliamentary motion that impeached him in December.

Yoon, 64, denied wrongdoing over the course of 11 hearings that ended this week, defending his move as a desperate bid to deal with North Korea sympathisers trying to paralyse his administration. He contended his deployment of troops to the National Assembly on December 3 was to ensure peace and order rather than to block lawmakers from voting to annul the martial law.

The opposition-controlled parliament accused Yoon of abusing power and the anti-corruption agency arrested him in January, making him the first sitting South Korean president to be taken into custody.

While most rallies have been peaceful, violence erupted in January when a mob broke into a court that extended Yoon’s arrest. Some climbed over the wall and others broke barricades to make their way into the Seoul Western District Court.