ISTANBUL

Two of South Korea’s leading broadcasters pledged Monday to take action against supporters of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol who assaulted journalists during a weekend protest.

The protesters attacked journalists Sunday after storming the Seoul Western District Court, which had issued a formal arrest warrant for Yoon over his short-lived declaration of martial law in December.

The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) said in a statement that “around 10 KBS journalists and assistants who were covering the case on site were repeatedly assaulted by protesters, and some of our equipment was destroyed.”

Thousands of demonstrators had gathered outside the court during a closed-door hearing on the arrest warrant requested by an anti-corruption body.

Yoon, taken into custody last Wednesday from the presidential residence, became the first sitting South Korean president to face formal arrest.

Shortly after the warrant was issued before dawn, dozens of Yoon’s supporters climbed the walls of the courthouse, damaging infrastructure. According to Yonhap News Agency, police detained 90 protesters and have sought arrest warrants for at least 67 of them.

KBS condemned the attacks.

“Those targeting journalists pose a threat to the media, the constitution, and democracy,” it said, urging authorities to take action.

“We are also considering legal measures against the assailants,” it added.

MBC, another major broadcaster based in the capital, also vowed to pursue strong legal action against the attackers.

“This incident is an attack on press freedom, a fundamental constitutional value,” it said in a statement.

According to the Korea JoongAng Daily, an angry mob of Yoon’s supporters breached police barricades, climbed the courthouse walls, vandalized the premises and assaulted police officers and journalists.

Police attempted another raid on the presidential office on Monday to search for documents related to the martial law declaration but were blocked by the presidential security team.