As South Korea's impeached president Yoon awaits fate, his party sees signs of revival

SEOUL — A prolonged period of uncertainty over the fate of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and the 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 hill top residence in Seoul, guarded by a small army of personal security.

A National Barometer Survey poll released Thursday (Jan 9) showed 59 per cent of respondents want him arrested, something investigators are determined to do even though they failed last week after a widely televised six-hour standoff with his security. But 37 per cent said arresting Yoon is excessive.

A similar split fell in favour of the Constitutional Court, which is currently deliberating over lawmakers' decision to impeach Yoon, to permanently remove him.

Analysts say the prospects of Yoon making a return to office are unclear but the hiatus has emboldened his loyal 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.

He said that revival comes from both die-hard Yoon supporters, who back his reasons for declaring martial law including unsubstantiated allegations of election fraud, and those who are less