Arrest Warrant Issued for Impeached South Korean President Yoon by Court
A lawyer representing the impeached president argued that the detainment warrant was invalid, claiming that the anti-corruption agency did not have the legal authority to investigate allegations of rebellion.
A South Korean court has issued an arrest warrant for suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol due to his declaration of martial law in December.
The warrant allows for the search of his office and residence in connection with the investigation into the events of December 3, when Yoon imposed martial law but later reversed the decision.
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO) announced that warrants had been issued against Yoon, who was impeached on December 14.
Yoon had cited “anti-state forces” and criticized the liberal opposition Democratic Party (DP) when he declared martial law, accusing them of sympathizing with North Korea.
While Yoon claims his actions were a legitimate act of governance, he is under investigation for rebellion and potentially faces severe consequences if convicted.
Yoon enjoys presidential immunity from criminal prosecution, but this immunity does not cover charges of rebellion or treason.
The presidential security service affirmed their commitment to providing security for Yoon within the confines of the law.
The CIO has not yet revealed their plans for proceeding with the warrants.
‘No Way to Detain Him’
Choi Jin from the Institute of Presidential Leadership suggested that detaining Yoon would be challenging unless he willingly submits to arrest. The Constitutional Court will ultimately decide Yoon’s fate.
If the Constitutional Court decides to permanently remove Yoon from office, a new presidential election will be necessary.
Yoon, the leader of the conservative People Power Party (PPP), narrowly defeated the DP candidate Lee Jae-myung in the March 2022 election.
The acting leader of the PPP, Kweon Seong-dong, expressed disapproval of attempting to detain a sitting president.
Yoon’s defense minister, police chief, and senior military officials have been arrested and interrogated regarding their involvement in the martial law declaration.
Yoon insists that he deployed troops to the National Assembly to maintain order and denies any plans to arrest politicians.
The commander of the Army Special Warfare Command, Kwak Jong-keun, testified that he refused an order from Yoon to forcibly remove lawmakers from the National Assembly.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
