S. Korea's democracy faces serious challenge after unprecedented violence at court

Following President Yoon Suk Yeol's arrest, serious violence has erupted at a court in a country that is seen as a stronghold for democracy.

Our Choi Min-jung examines what message it sends to Korean society.

South Korea is a well-established democracy with a strong legal framework.

But what we witnessed over the weekend suggests otherwise.

The arrest of President Yoon Suk Yeol sparked violent unrest at the Seoul Western District Court, as dozens of his supporters stormed the building on Sunday, causing extensive damage.

The Korea Law Professors Association called this "an unprecedented act of terrorism against the judiciary."

While protests and demonstrations are not uncommon, an incident of this scale has never before been seen in South Korea.

"I think that it was a big threat to stability and neutrality of the South Korean legal system. If anyone who is not satisfied with the court decision keep doing such a violence and the legal system will fall apart."

Another expert says, the recent attack on the court stands out as a challenge to the nation's respect for the court as well.

" the bigger concern here the bigger threat however lies in the diminishing respect for the court itself among those involved in the judicial proceedings From now on moving forward we may face far more aggressive and violent challenges to the court decisions than simple protests."

Similar incidents are rare in other democratic countries as well, though there have been occasional instances of individuals or groups targeting judicial buildings due to frustration with legal decisions.

The world witnessed a similar incident in the U.S. --the January sixth 2021 Capitol riot,.. while not directly targeting a judicial institution, it was fundamentally rooted in frustration with legal decisions made by election officials and the judiciary.

On Tuesday, prosecution officials confirmed that all 46 supporters of President Yoon, who were detained for aggressively storming the Seoul Western District Court are now facing formal charges and arrests.

The prosecution also sought arrest warrants for 17 more individuals, accusing them of obstructing a vehicle carrying prosecutors and investigators handling Yoon's case, climbing over the courthouse walls, or assaulting police officers.

Choi Min-jung, Arirang News.