South Korean court approves arrest warrant for President Yoon

Seoul: A South Korean court on Tuesday approved an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol, who has been impeached and suspended from power over his decision to impose martial law on December 3, investigating authorities said.

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials confirmed the Seoul Western District Court approved the warrant.

A caricature depicting an imprisoned Yoon Suk Yeol is displayed during a rally outside the National Assembly in Seoul on December 13.Credit: nna\josh.hohne

This is the first arrest warrant issued for an incumbent president in South Korea, according to local media.

The current arrest warrant is viable until January 6, and once it is exercised, Yoon is expected to be held at the Seoul Detention Centre, Yonhap news agency said citing the investigation office.

On Monday, South Korean investigators sought an arrest warrant for Yoon over this month’s short-lived imposition of martial law after the impeached leader repeatedly defied summons to appear for questioning over his martial law declaration.

Yoon is facing a criminal investigation into possible insurrection charges.

The court declined to comment.

Investigators made the request to a Seoul court a day after Yoon failed to appear for scheduled questioning. The previous two summonses were for December 18 and Christmas Day.

It was unclear when or how the arrest warrant for Yoon would be carried out. South Korea’s presidential security service said in a statement on Tuesday that it would treat the arrest warrant according to due process.

The court also approved a search warrant for Yoon’s residence, the investigators said.

Previously, police tried but failed to successfully raid the presidential office due to the presidential security service blocking access.

The acting leader of South Korea’s ruling People Power Party, Kweon Seong-dong, said on Tuesday that attempting to detain a sitting president was inappropriate.

South Korea is experiencing one of its most tumultuous periods in years after Yoon’s short-lived imposition of martial law on December 3, which led to his impeachment and subsequently that of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who briefly served as acting leader.

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok is South Korea’s new interim leader.

The political chaos is compounded by the country’s worst civil aviation accident after a Jeju Air flight crashed on Sunday, killing all except two of the 181 people on board.

Yoon’s lawyer had submitted a statement to the court saying the investigation team had no legal basis to seek a warrant for the president.

Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok became acting president on Friday.Credit: AP

The president’s decision to repeatedly avoid questioning and challenge the investigators’ authority appears aimed at delaying the proceedings against him, says Lee Chang-hyun, a law professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

Yoon has vowed to keep defending himself, signalling his intent to fight in court to stay in office, and insists his martial law decree was within his constitutional powers. Meanwhile, a trial is ongoing to decide whether to reinstate or permanently remove Yoon from office. It has until June to decide, and the next hearing is scheduled for January 3.

Choi Sang-mok, who became acting president on Friday after Han’s impeachment, is facing a major test just two days into the job. He has declared a week-long mourning period until January 4 after the plane crash, called for a strict investigation into the incident, and ordered an emergency safety inspection of the entire airline system.

Han was impeached for refusing to meet the opposition party’s demand to immediately appoint three judges to fill vacancies on the nine-member Constitutional Court, a move that would be likely to increase the chances of upholding Yoon’s impeachment.

Bloomberg, Reuters

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