Thursday 02 / January / 2025
A court in South Korea has approved an arrest warrant to detain impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived imposition of martial law earlier this month.
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials said in a statement on Tuesday that the Seoul Western District Court issued the warrant.
The agency said it was probing whether Yoon's December 3 martial law decree amounted to rebellion.
It was not immediately clear when or how the arrest warrant for Yoon will be carried out.
On Tuesday, South Korea's presidential security service issued a statement saying it will treat the arrest warrant according to due process.
The impeached president's lawyer said that the arrest warrant was "illegal and invalid",
"The arrest warrant and search and seizure warrant issued at the request of an agency without investigative authority are illegal and invalid," Yoon Kab-keun said in a statement sent to news agency AFP.
The lawyer added that the body investigating Yoon Suk Yeol "lacks investigative authority."
The prosecutors' application for a warrant, sought on Monday, is believed to be the first attempt to forcibly detain a sitting president in the country's constitutional history.
Why did invesigators seek the arrest warrant?
Yoon has circumvented several requests to appear for questioning by the joint investigation team and public prosecutors. He has also blocked searches of his office related to the investigation.
Investigators are planning to question Yoon on charges of abuse of authority and orchestrating a rebellion.
The martial law declaration drew immediate opposition from politicians, with lawmakers having quickly passed a resolution demanding Yoon lift his order.
On December 14, lawmakers voted to impeach the president over his failed attempt to impose military rule, suspending his presidential powers.
However, it is up to the Constitutional Court to decide whether to confirm the impeachment and remove Yoon from office or restore his powers. The process could take months.
Short-lived martial law plunges South Korea into crisis
Days after his attempt to impose martial law, Yoon apologized saying he would not evade legal and political responsibility over his actions.
He nevertheless later came out to defend his decision, saying it was a measure to protect the country's democracy.
Opposition party members have criticized his repeated defiance of the summons and have warned against possible destruction of evidence.
Yoon faces a string of investigations, including potential charges of leading an insurrection, a crime punishable by life imprisonment or even the death penalty.
The country's political crisis deepend further, when parliament last week also impeached acting President Han Duck-soo, over his reluctance to fill three Constitutional Court vacancies.
