SEOUL, South Korea – A South Korean court on Tuesday detained impeached President Yun Seok-Yeol and issued a warrant to search his office and residence on suspicion of sedition related to the brief imposition of martial law.
This is the first time an arrest warrant has been issued for a sitting South Korean president. However, experts say there is little chance that Yoon will be detained or searched unless he is formally removed from office.
The Seoul Western District Court issued a warrant to arrest Yoon and search his presidential palace and residence in central Seoul, according to a statement from the Office of High-Level Corruption Investigation, which is leading a joint investigation with police and military authorities.
The agency said it was investigating whether Yoon’s Dec. 3 declaration amounted to rebellion.
Under South Korean law, rebel leaders can face the death penalty or life imprisonment if convicted. Yun enjoys presidential immunity from most criminal prosecutions, but that privilege does not extend to charges of sedition or treason.
Yun’s powers have been suspended since the opposition-dominated National Assembly voted to impeach him on December 14 over his imposition of martial law, and hundreds of military and police officers have been deployed to the parliament. Ta. By law, South Korea’s president can only declare martial law in times of war or similar emergencies, and he does not have the right to suspend parliamentary operations even under martial law.
Mr. Yun claims that his decree is a legitimate act of governance and has been criticized by the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, which has used its parliamentary majority to impeach government officials, calling him a “monster” and an “anti-national force.” He claimed that it was a warning to those who were calling him. , which he claims hurts the government’s budget and sympathizes with North Korea.
The Constitutional Court will decide whether to remove Yoon as president or reinstate him.
Experts said it was likely that Yoon would ignore the warrant.
The president’s lawyer, Yoon Kapgun, called the arrest warrant “null and void” and “illegal” and said the anti-corruption agency had no legal authority to investigate the sedition charges. The Presidential Security Bureau announced that it would provide security for Yoon in accordance with the law.
The anti-corruption agency said it has no immediate plans for when it will proceed with the warrant.
Choi Jin, director of the Seoul-based Institute for Presidential Guidance, said, “There is no way to detain Mr. Yoon unless he voluntarily detains him.” “Should investigators engage in hand-to-hand combat with security officials?”
Choi said it is likely that investigators will continue to visit Yoon’s home in order to demonstrate that they are carrying out their work strictly and fairly.
Park Sung-min, president of Seoul-based political consulting firm MIN Consulting, said the request for an arrest warrant was likely aimed at pressuring Yoon to cooperate with the investigation.
Former President Park Geun-hye, who was ousted in 2017 after being impeached over a corruption scandal, also refused to meet with prosecutors while in office. She was interrogated by them and arrested after the Constitutional Court removed her from office.
Mr. Yun’s imposition of martial law lasted only six hours, but it caused massive political turmoil, halted high-level diplomacy, and roiled financial markets. Despite Yun sending in the military and police, enough lawmakers entered the chamber and unanimously overturned the bill.
Yun’s defense minister, police chief, and several military officials have already been arrested for their roles in establishing martial law.
Yun insisted he had no intention of disrupting parliament, said he had sent in the military to maintain order, and denied plans to arrest politicians. However, comments sent to Congress by commanders of the now-arrested military units contradict this claim.
Army Special Warfare Commander Kwak Jeong-geun testified in the National Assembly that Yoon called on the military to “immediately break down the door and drag out the parliamentarians inside.” Kwak said he did not carry out Yoon’s orders.
The country’s political crisis deepened last Friday when the Democratic Party and other small opposition parties passed a resolution to impeach acting President Han Do-soo for refusing to fill three judges’ seats on the nine-member Constitutional Court. . Officials have pointed out that the increase in the number of judges could increase the likelihood that the court will uphold Yoon’s impeachment. Impeachment requires the support of at least six justices.
Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Choi Sang-mok has been sworn in as South Korea’s new interim leader. On Tuesday, Choi appointed two new judges, saying he felt a sense of urgency to resolve political uncertainty and national divisions.
