Won Heeryong: "Illegal Arrest of President Cannot Be Tolerated Simply Because He Is Disliked"

"Unconstitutional Impeachment and Illegal Arrest" Claims
"Han Ducksoo's Status as Acting President Must Also Be Immediately Restored"

Won Heeryong, former Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, strongly criticized the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO)'s issuance and execution of an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol, stating, "We must not tolerate unconstitutional impeachment and illegal arrest simply because we do not like the president." He warned, "The moment we tolerate President Yoon's illegal arrest, the Constitution and the law become meaningless, and the very foundation of the Republic of Korea collapses."

Won Heeryong, former Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Yonhap News

On January 4, Won Heeryong wrote on Facebook, "No citizen of the Republic of Korea can be above the Constitution," making these remarks. He continued, "Especially in times of national crisis and division among the people, the only way to overcome the crisis and achieve unity is to follow the Constitution." He insisted, "The procedure for impeaching the president must also be strictly conducted within the boundaries of the Constitution."

He stated, "If the charge of insurrection had not been included in the impeachment bill, the bill would not have passed," and added, "The Democratic Party is deceiving the people and disregarding the Constitution for the sake of one individual, Lee Jaemyung." He emphasized that now, more than ever, all state institutions, including the Constitutional Court, as well as the people, must abide by the Constitution. He further argued, "If the charge of insurrection, which is central to the impeachment, is removed from the grounds for impeachment, the existing impeachment of the president naturally becomes invalid, and the National Assembly must vote on it again."

He went on to say, "If the charge of insurrection is removed, the impeachment of Acting President Han Ducksoo on the grounds of aiding insurrection is null and void from the outset." He added, "Han Ducksoo's status as acting president must be immediately restored. The appointment of Choi Sangmok as acting president and as a Constitutional Court justice is also automatically invalid, as it was done by someone without authority."

In conclusion, he urged, "The illegal investigation by the CIO, which does not have jurisdiction over insurrection charges, must be stopped immediately." He also said, "The judge who issued an all-powerful and illegal arrest warrant for the CIO, which lacks investigative authority and disregarded the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Act, must be impeached immediately."