South Korean Police apprehend 45 for storming court in protest against Yoon's formal arrest


President Yoon Suk Yeol's supporters stage an angry protest in front of the Seoul Western District Court in Seoul on Sunday. - Yonhap via The Korea Herald/ANN

SEOUL: Police on Sunday (Jan 19) apprehended 45 protesters on-site who stormed a court in an angry protest against a decision to formally arrest President Yoon Suk Yeol over his failed martial law bid.

Earlier in the day, the Seoul Western District Court granted the warrant for the president's extended detention, citing the risk of evidence destruction related to allegations of insurrection and abuse of power when he imposed martial law Dec. 3.

In response, a group of protesters forcefully entered the court by climbing over walls and breaking windows while hurling plastic chairs, trash and other objects and spraying a fire extinguisher at police officers stationed around the building.

They were part of an estimated crowd of 44,000 supporters of Yoon who had gathered outside the court Saturday as the impeached president attended a hearing regarding the extension of his detention.

Some protestors engaged in physical altercations with police officers as they tried to breach the court grounds, ignoring repeated warnings from law enforcement that their actions could result in arrests or potentially trigger a crowd crush.

Police have detained 86 protesters since Saturday and formed a special investigation team to probe the incident and determine further actions against those involved.

They said they would deal "sternly" with those who broke the law. - Yonhap via The Korea Herald/ANN

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