Prosecutor's Office Misstep, Approval Ratings Rise... Yoon's Camp Accelerates 'Faction Consolidation'

Prosecutors' 'Inconsistency' Gives Yoon's Side Pretext for Counterattack
Yoon: "Rule of Law Collapsing"... Investigation Shaken
Second Arrest Attempt a Turning Point... Clash Inevitable

President Yoon Suk-yeol. Photo by Yonhap News

The Yoon Seok-yeol presidential camp, which thwarted the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Unit (Hugo) from executing an arrest warrant, has launched a full-scale counterattack. This is interpreted as a strategy to buy time by continuously targeting procedural and legal flaws in Hugo and police investigations, while gaining an advantageous position in the public opinion battle through consolidating support forces. However, there are concerns that continued non-cooperation with investigations and close ties with far-right forces could work against them in the Constitutional Court impeachment trial process.

According to political and legal circles on the 7th, Yoon’s camp has stepped up countermeasures against investigative agencies and opposition parties following the expiration of the arrest warrant issued by the court to Hugo the previous day. After filing numerous complaints against 11 individuals involved in the attempt to arrest President Yoon, including Oh Dong-woon, head of Hugo, Lee Ho-young, deputy commissioner of the National Police Agency, and Kim Sun-ho, deputy minister of the Ministry of National Defense, they are shaking the investigation into charges of rebellion from the ground up by claiming that "Hugo does not abide by the law."

Hugo’s inadequate response is seen as giving Yoon’s camp a pretext for counterattack. Not only did Hugo fail to arrest President Yoon, but it also unilaterally entrusted the execution of the arrest warrant to the police, then retracted it after seven hours amid controversy, showing a vacillating stance. Seok Dong-hyun, a lawyer assisting President Yoon’s legal team, pointed out Hugo’s legal flaws to reporters the previous day, saying, "President Yoon laments the collapse of the rule of law." This appears to be building justification for refusing to comply with any re-execution of the arrest warrant in the future.

As the investigation is repeatedly delayed, the rebound in approval ratings for President Yoon and the People Power Party has also boosted confidence in consolidating support. Consequently, there is a growing momentum for the consolidation of People Power Party lawmakers. About 40 ruling party lawmakers, including Yoon Sang-hyun and Na Kyung-won, volunteered to be a 'human shield' at the Hannam-dong residence the previous day, and off-site support campaigns by figures such as Kim Moon-soo, Minister of Employment and Labor, and Hong Joon-pyo, Mayor of Daegu, are intensifying.

President Yoon is expected to take a more active role in rallying his support base going forward. Following his message to supporters protesting against impeachment in front of the residence on the 1st, saying "I will fight to the end with you," he is reportedly considering additional messages. Park Jong-jun, head of the Presidential Security Service, unusually justified blocking the arrest through a video message, stating, "President Yoon is the incumbent president elected by the people," and the Blue House is also providing supportive fire.

However, as the joint investigation headquarters has moved to extend the validity of the arrest warrant, the second attempt by Hugo and the police to execute the warrant is expected to be a turning point. The police have shown determination not to back down easily in the second attempt, even considering on-site arrest of security service personnel. The police have already booked Park and others on charges of obstructing official duties, and the number of those booked could increase significantly after the second execution attempt.