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Police said they had deployed 3,200 officers to Yoon’s residence to execute the arrest on Wednesday, where hundreds of pro-Yoon protesters and members of his People Power Party had also gathered before dawn in sub-zero temperatures.
“As I have repeatedly emphasised the need for prevention of physical conflict between state agencies … I will sternly hold those responsible if unfortunate events occur,” Acting President Choi Sang-mok said in a statement on Wednesday.
Yoon’s declaration of martial law stunned South Koreans and plunged one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies into an unprecedented period of political turmoil.
The arrest warrant is the first ever issued against an incumbent South Korean president.
