A South Korean court on Tuesday agreed with authorities to arrest President Yoon Suk Yeol after he was impeached and suspended from power for imposing martial law, marking the first time a sitting president of the country has been arrested.
The Corruption Investigation Office of Senior Officials (CIO) confirmed that the Seoul Western District Court approved the warrant requested by investigators examining Yoon’s short-lived imposition of martial law.
Yoon is under investigation over allegations that he was the leader of an insurrection, one of the few criminal charges from which a South Korean president does not have immunity. Furthermore, his impeachment trial is underway before the Constitutional Court.
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who succeeded Yoon as interim president, was also impeached by the opposition-dominated Parliament.
Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, who took over as interim president after Han’s ouster, is grappling with the crash of Jeju Air Flight 7C2216 on Sunday, which killed 179 people in the deadliest air disaster on South Korean soil.
The current arrest warrant is valid until Jan. 6, and once it is exercised, Yoon is expected to be detained at the Seoul detention center, Yonhap News Agency said, citing the IOC.
Yoon Kab-keun, a lawyer for the deposed president, said the arrest warrant was illegal and invalid because the IOC did not have the authority under South Korean law to seek a warrant.
He said the president’s legal team would seek an injunction from the Constitutional Court to end the arrest warrant.
Warrant approved for Yoon’s residence
The district court issued the arrest warrant due to the likelihood that Yoon will not respond to the summons without good reason, and that there is serious reason to suspect Yoon of a crime, Yonhap said. The court declined to comment.
It is unclear when or how the arrest warrant for Yoon will be executed. South Korea’s presidential security service said in a statement Tuesday that it would handle the arrest warrant according to due process.
The court also approved a search warrant for Yoon’s residence, the IOC said.
Earlier, police unsuccessfully attempted to search the presidential office as part of the investigation, as presidential security services blocked access.
Yoon has not responded to investigators’ summons on several occasions since martial law was declared on December 3. The announcement, an attempt to ban political activity and censor the media, was the first such measure in South Korea since the 1980s.
Short-lived martial law
That night, troops forced their way into the National Assembly building in Seoul, but retreated when parliamentary aides sprayed them with fire extinguishers. Lawmakers rejected the martial law order as protesters clashed with police outside, and Yoon rescinded the order hours later.
The reaction was rapid. Although Yoon survived an initial impeachment attempt, members of his party later joined opposition parties to impeach him on December 14.
Han took over as interim president, but he too was removed on Friday after refusing to approve judges appointed by Parliament to the Constitutional Court.
The next hearing in Yoon’s case before the Constitutional Court is scheduled for Friday.
Kim Yonghyun, who resigned as Yoon’s defense minister after playing a major role in declaring martial law, was arrested and charged Friday with insurrection and abuse of power.
Acting leader of South Korea’s ruling People’s Power Party, Kweon Seong-dong, said Tuesday that trying to arrest a sitting president was inappropriate.
