SEOUL, Jan 9 : A prolonged period of uncertainty over the fate of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and a botched attempt to arrest him are giving oxygen to his backers and reviving support for his troubled party.
Yoon, suspended from duties after his short-lived imposition of martial law on Dec. 3 and under criminal investigation for possible insurrection, has for weeks been holed up inside his hilltop residence in Seoul, guarded by a small army of personal security staff.
In a National Barometer Survey poll released on Thursday, 59% of respondents wanted him arrested, something investigators are determined to do even though they failed last week after a widely televised six-hour standoff with his security force. Some 37% said arresting Yoon was excessive.
A similar split fell in favour of the Constitutional Court, currently considering lawmakers' decision to impeach Yoon, removing him permanently.
Analysts say the prospects of Yoon returning to office are unclear but the hiatus has emboldened his supporters, scores of whom braved sub-zero temperatures to gather near his residence on Thursday morning.
The weeks since Yoon's impeachment have also seen a recovery in support for his ruling People Power Party (PPP), which some analysts say shows signs conservatives are uniting to fight a possible presidential election later this year.
"It seems that the attempt to arrest Yoon has reinvigorated conservatives," said Mason Richey, a professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul. —REUTERS
