Seoul, March 20 South Korea's Impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol offered a message of condolence to a man who was believed to be one of his supporters and died after setting himself on fire, the presidential office said on Thursday.
Yoon's aides delivered the message during their visit to the funeral service of the 79-year-old man, who staged a self-immolation action after scattering printouts about his support for Yoon in downtown Seoul on March 7, the office said in a statement.
The aides told the bereaved family that Yoon was heartbroken by the tragic news, according to the statement.
Yoon also sent a message to his supporters who are staging a hunger strike in protest against his impeachment, Yonhap news agency reported.
"No matter how important the result of the Constitutional Court's ruling is, it is not more precious than your lives. I plead with you to end the hunger strike and recover your health," Yoon was quoted as saying by Rep. Ihn Yo-han of the ruling People Power Party.
Earlier on Wednesday, South Korean First Lady Kim Keon Hee purportedly berated the Presidential Security Service (PSS) for failing to stop investigators from detaining Yoon in January, according to sources.
Kim's alleged remark was described in arrest warrants police sought for two senior PSS officials -- acting chief Kim Seong-hoon and bodyguard division chief Lee Kwang-woo -- on Monday on charges of obstructing investigators' first attempt to detain Yoon on January 3., according to the police and prosecution sources.
The warrants reportedly described the first lady as berating a PSS officer after investigators succeeded at their second detention attempt on January 15, stating, "What's the point of carrying a gun? You're supposed to stop something like that."
She also allegedly expressed her despair by claiming to want to "shoot Chairman Lee Jae-myung and then die myself," referring to the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party.
The PSS officer allegedly reported the incident to his superiors.
Yoon's office denied the First Lady's alleged remarks. "We do not believe it is true, but we will not respond," the presidential office said.
If Yoon is ousted, the country will be required to hold a snap presidential election within 60 days. If reinstated, he will serve out the remainder of his term till May 2027.
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