South Korean court issues arrest warrant for impeached President Yoon

Seoul: A South Korean court has issued an arrest warrant for suspended and accused President Yoon Suk Yeol, investigators said Tuesday, over his brief attempt to impose martial law in the country.

Yoon briefly suspended civilian rule this month, plunging South Korea into its worst political crisis in decades.

Parliament stripped him of his presidential duties over the action, but a constitutional court ruling is pending on whether the impeachment should be upheld.

“The arrest warrant and search warrant against 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 for insurrection, which could lead to life in prison or even the death penalty.

Investigators probing Yoon over his martial law declaration sought the order on Monday after the suspended president failed to show up for questioning for a third time.

“The reason for the order is that there is concern that the individual may refuse to comply with the subpoena without justifiable reasons, and there is sufficient probable cause to suspect the commission of a crime,” a Bureau of Criminal Investigation official told reporters. Corruption Investigation (CIO). at a briefing on Tuesday.

“The order is valid until January 6,” the official said, adding that Yoon could be held at a police station or the Seoul detention center.

Yoon’s lawyer called the arrest warrant against the ousted president “illegal and invalid,” saying investigators lacked the authority to investigate 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 in a statement sent to AFP.

Detention?

Although the order has been issued, it is unclear whether investigators and police will be able to carry it out.

The Presidential Security Service has previously refused to comply with three search warrants.

He said Tuesday that “security measures relating to the execution of the order will be carried out in accordance with legal procedures,” in a statement to local media.

But lawyer Yun Bok-nam, president of Lawyers for a Democratic Society, told AFP that while there is a legal basis for rejecting a search warrant, “there is no such provision for arrest warrants.”

“I hope the (arrest) process goes smoothly,” he said, adding that arrest warrants were generally valid for seven days and had to be executed within that time frame.

Police were deployed early Tuesday outside Yoon’s residence in central Seoul, in a likely attempt to prevent clashes.

Yoon’s supporters and protesters calling for his ouster have staked out his residence, and local media published images of altercations between the two sides overnight.

“Up to 3,000 people will mobilize to protest against the unjust and invalid arrest order,” 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, as investigators would try to coordinate with the presidential security service.

Technically, anyone who obstructs the execution of an arrest warrant could be arrested.

Joint probe

Yoon is being investigated by prosecutors and a joint team made up of police, the Defense Ministry and anti-corruption officials.

A ten-page prosecutor’s report seen by AFP claims that Yoon authorized the military to fire weapons if necessary to enter Parliament during his failed attempt to implement martial law.

Yoon’s lawyer had previously dismissed the prosecution’s report, telling AFP that it was “a one-sided version that corresponds neither to objective circumstances nor to common sense.”

Yoon declared martial law in an unannounced televised speech on December 3, saying he aimed to eliminate “anti-state elements.”

Lawmakers rushed to parliament within minutes of the statement to reject it.

At the same time, heavily armed troops stormed the building, scaled fences, broke windows and landed by helicopter.

According to the prosecution’s indictment report, Yoon told capital defense command chief Lee Jin-woo that military forces could fire if necessary to enter the National Assembly.

The report also said there was evidence that Yoon had been discussing the declaration of 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 bills for investigations into Yoon.

Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok took over as the new acting president and was immediately thrust into disaster with the Jeju Air plane crash on Sunday that claimed 179 lives.