Police will be heavily deployed, with subway stations and at least one school closed for safety reasons as South Korea’s Constitutional Court prepares to rule on whether to oust or reinstate impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Yoon’s political future is uncertain after his brief martial law decree on December 3, which led to his impeachment and separate criminal charges of insurrection.
The ruling, expected this week, will draw large crowds of both Yoon supporters and opponents, with recent protests attracting tens of thousands.
“We are preparing plans considering the worst-case scenarios,” said Lee Ho-young, Acting Commissioner General of the National Police Agency.
In case of violence, similar to the January rampage by Yoon supporters at a court building, police officers will be authorized to use pepper spray or batons, Lee added.
On the day of the ruling, a subway station near the Constitutional Court will be closed, and trains may skip other stations where large rallies are anticipated, according to Seoul Metro. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education also issued letters in late February advising six nearby schools to take safety precautions, including shutting down on the ruling day. One school has already decided to close, said Kim Eun-mi, an official at the education office.
During previous court hearings, police officers and vehicles have surrounded Yoon supporters’ gatherings, which numbered in the thousands.
“Security must be tighter than ever, as you can imagine how precarious this situation can get,” a police official told Reuters on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation. “We need to be on the highest alert level, like when the Constitutional Court ruled on President Park Geun-hye.”
Park was impeached and removed from office in March 2017 over corruption allegations. The protests that followed her impeachment resulted in at least three deaths and dozens of injuries.
Authorities are also considering shutting down gas stations near the court on the day of the ruling, the official said.
On Sunday, the day after Yoon returned home, thousands of his supporters gathered near his residence to protest the impeachment, with heavy police security in place. Over the weekend, police set up checkpoints and parked buses along main roads to limit access around his residence.
