South Korean court issues arrest warrant for impeached President Yoon

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 he authorized the military to fire weapons if necessary to enter Parliament during his failed attempt to enforce martial law.

The report also said there was evidence that he had been discussing the declaration of martial law with senior military officers as early as March.

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.”

The suspended president declared martial law in an unannounced televised speech, saying it was aimed at eliminating “anti-state elements”, but lawmakers rushed to parliament to reject it.

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

A constitutional court will decide whether or not to confirm Yoon’s impeachment.

The turmoil deepened late last week when Yoon’s replacement, Han Duck-soo, was also impeached by parliament for failing to sign bills to investigate his predecessor.

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.

On Tuesday, Choi named two new judges to the constitutional court hearing Yoon’s impeachment trial, fulfilling a key opposition demand.

Investigators also raided the offices of the military’s Counterintelligence Command on Tuesday and indicted two top commanders on charges they said were related to insurrection and abuse of authority.

By Hieun Shin and Cat Barton