South Korean police to seek arrest warrant for 66 people over courthouse violence

Seoul, Jan 20 As many as 90 people have been detained in connection with violent disorder that occurred at the Seoul Western District Court and the Constitutional Court over the weekend during protests against the formal arrest of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA) said on Monday.

Police will first seek an arrest warrant for 66 of them, and five already underwent a related court hearing on the day, Yonhap news agency reported quoting the SMPA.

Of the 66 detainees, 46 are charged with violently storming the Seoul Western District Court early on Sunday morning after the court issued an arrest warrant for Yoon, 10 with blocking a car carrying prosecutors and investigators in charge of Yoon's case, and another 10 with climbing over the walls of the court or assaulting police officers, the SMPA said.

The agency said three YouTubers are included among the 46 courthouse intruders.

The 90 people apprehended for violence ranged in age from their teens to their 70s, and those in their 20s and 30s accounted for 51 per cent, or 46 people, the SMPA noted, vowing to seek stern punishment for all illegal acts and their perpetrators.

Earlier, a total of 86 angry supporters of impeached President Yoon were apprehended for storming a court and are likely to face severe legal consequences, sources said.

From Saturday to early Sunday, police arrested the protesters for breaking into the Seoul Western District Court in anger over the court's decision to formally arrest Yoon for his failed martial law attempt, Yonhap news agency reported.

Yoon's supporters 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.

Source: IANS