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Park Chan-kyong

Agence France-Presse

A South Korean court has issued an arrest warrant for impeached, suspended President Yoon Suk-yeol, investigators said on Tuesday, over his short-lived bid to impose martial law on the country.
Yoon briefly suspended civilian rule this month, plunging South Korea into its worst political crisis in decades.
He was stripped of his presidential duties by parliament over the action, but a constitutional court ruling is pending on whether to confirm the impeachment.
“The arrest warrant and search warrant for President Yoon Suk-yeol, requested by the Joint Investigation Headquarters, were issued this morning,” the Joint Investigation Headquarters said in a statement.
The conservative leader faces criminal charges of insurrection, which could result in life imprisonment or even the death penalty.
Investigators probing Yoon over his declaration of martial law requested the warrant on Monday after the suspended president failed to report for questioning a third time.
“The reason for the warrant is that there is a concern that the individual may refuse to comply with summons without justifiable reasons, and there is sufficient probable cause to suspect the commission of a crime,” a Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) official told reporters at a briefing on Tuesday.
“The warrant is valid until January 6,” the official said, adding that Yoon could be held at a police station or the Seoul detention centre.


Yoon’s lawyer called the arrest warrant for the impeached president “illegal and invalid”, saying investigators lacked the authority to probe the president.
“The arrest warrant and search and seizure warrant issued at the request of an agency without investigative authority are illegal and invalid,” lawyer Yoon Kab-keun said.
He said the president’s legal team will file for an injunction at the Constitutional Court to stop the warrant.
Even though the warrant has been issued, it is unclear whether investigators and police will be able to execute the order that allows them to keep Yoon in custody for questioning for up to 48 hours before deciding on whether to release the leader or seek fresh permission to formally arrest him.
The court’s decision was “a serious blow to Yoon” as he apparently hoped the investigators’ request would be turned down, said Lee Jun-han, a political-science professor at Incheon National University.
“It also marks the first time that a court warrant has been issued to detain a sitting president for questioning,” he said, adding the move underscored the need to question Yoon on insurrection charges.
But it remains to be seen whether Yoon’s presidential bodyguards will allow the investigators to enter his residence in central Seoul and detain him, said Choi Jin, head of the Institute for Presidential Leadership.
Obstructing investigators from executing such warrants constitutes a crime under the law.
The Presidential Security Service (PSS), which has previously refused to comply with three search warrants, said on Tuesday that “security measures regarding the execution of the warrant will be carried out in accordance with lawful procedures”.

Hundreds of people had gathered in front of the president’s house by midafternoon on Tuesday, mainly his supporters waving South Korean flags and chanting: “Martial law legal! Impeachment invalid!”.
Police were sent to the area in large numbers and could be seen shouting at protesters to keep in line.
“Up to 3,000 people will move to protest against the unfair and invalid arrest warrant,” said an official from the largest protest group supporting Yoon.
Local media reported that an imminent arrest or search of the presidential residence was unlikely because investigators would seek to coordinate with the PSS.
The acting leader of South Korea’s ruling People Power Party, Kweon Seong-dong, said on Tuesday that attempting to detain a sitting president is inappropriate, Yonhap reported
Kim Yong-min, a lawmaker in the opposition Democratic Party, said on Tuesday “the process of executing the warrant and investigation could be very difficult”, calling for investigators to immediately execute the warrants.
Yoon is being investigated by prosecutors as well as a joint team comprising police, defence ministry, and anti-corruption officials.
A 10-page prosecutors’ report stated that Yoon authorised the military to fire weapons if needed to enter parliament during his failed martial law bid.
Yoon’s lawyer had previously dismissed the prosecutors’ report, saying it was “a one-sided account that neither corresponds to objective circumstances nor common sense”.


Yoon declared martial law in an unannounced televised address on December 3, saying it was aimed at eliminating “anti-state elements”.
Lawmakers rushed to parliament within minutes of the declaration to vote it down.
At the same time, heavily armed troops stormed the building, scaling fences, smashing windows and landing by helicopter.
According to the prosecution indictment report, Yoon told the chief of the capital defence command, Lee Jin-woo, that military forces could shoot if necessary to enter the National Assembly.
The report also said there was evidence that Yoon had been discussing declaring martial law with senior military officials as early as March.
South Korea’s political turmoil deepened late last week when Yoon’s replacement, Han Duck-soo, was also impeached by parliament for failing to sign through bills for investigations into Yoon.
Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok has taken over as the new acting president, and found himself thrust immediately into a disaster with the Jeju Air plane crash on Sunday that claimed 179 lives.


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Protesters drag a figure depicting South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol during a rally in Seoul on December 28. Photo: Reuters

Protesters opposing the arrest warrant gather in front of Yoon’s official residence in Seoul on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

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South Korea’s acting president Han Duck-soo. Photo: Yonhap/AFP

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Protesters outside the Constitutional Court in Seoul demand the arrest of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol. Photo: AP

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South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Apec summit in Lima last month. Photo: dpa

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South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung speaks at a press conference on the removal of President Yoon Suk-yeol from office. Photo: AP

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South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee. Photo: EPA-EFE/Yonhap

First Lady Kim Keon-hee seen in a screengrab from Voice of Seoul’s video, reportedly filmed in August 2021. Photo: YouTube / VoiceOfSeoul 

Protesters hold up effigies depicting President Yoon and his wife Kim at a rally in Seoul. Photo: EPA-EFE

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Yoon, who also faces criminal charges of insurrection, could be held at a police station or the Seoul detention centre


Yoon, who also faces criminal charges of insurrection, could be held at a police station or the Seoul detention centre.


South Korea

Yoon Suk-yeol