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A South Korean court has approved an arrest warrant for President Yoon Seok-yeol, who was impeached by Congress earlier this month for his failed attempt to impose martial law in the East Asian country.
Tuesday’s move marks the first time an arrest warrant has been issued for a sitting president in South Korea.
The Seoul Western District Court also issued a search warrant for Yoon’s residence at the request of the Office of the Corruption Investigation (CIO), which is investigating the president on suspicion of treason and abuse of power.
The warrant, issued after Mr. Yun ignored repeated summonses from authorities for questioning, is the latest blow in an escalating political crisis that has raised concerns about the health of democracy in Asia’s fourth-largest economy. It became.
The opposition party last week impeached acting President Han Do-soo after he refused to appoint three judges to fill the vacancies on the Constitutional Court, which is considering Yoon’s removal from office.
It remains unclear whether the agency will execute the warrant, which is valid through Monday. The CIO said it was planning to execute the warrant, but following Yun’s impeachment on Dec. 14, police had to search his office in advance under a law that prohibits unauthorized searches of places containing state secrets. The president’s security services thwarted an attempt to raid his home.
The Presidential Security Service announced on Tuesday that security measures would be taken in accordance with legal procedures.
Mr. Yoon, who denies any wrongdoing, is suspected of sending troops to the National Assembly to prevent lawmakers from rejecting martial law and is under criminal investigation for possible rioting.
His lawyers said they planned to apply for an injunction at the Constitutional Court to challenge the validity of the warrant and block his arrest, arguing that martial law does not amount to rioting.
South Korea’s constitution gives the president immunity from criminal prosecution, but this does not apply to charges of sedition or treason.
“(Yun) has no reason to avoid the investigation. (He) has no intention of avoiding or delaying it,” one of his lawyers, Yoon Kapgun, told reporters. “Regardless of the investigating agency, we will deal with the matter fairly and lawfully if legal procedures are followed,” he said.
Prosecutors on Tuesday also indicted Lee Jin-woo, head of the Capital Defense Command, and Yeo In-hyun, head of the National Defense Counterintelligence Command, on suspicion of being involved in Yoon’s attempt to seize power. Former Minister of Defense Kim Yong-hyun was indicted last week.
Kwon Seong-dong, acting leader of Yoon’s ruling party People’s Power, said on Tuesday that the detention of the sitting president was inappropriate, according to state-run Yonhap news agency.
The main opposition party, the Democratic Party of Japan, called for Yoon’s immediate arrest.
Yun will be suspended from his duties until the Constitutional Court makes a decision on whether to dismiss him or reinstate him.
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Minister of Finance Choi Sang-mok, who took over as acting president following Han’s impeachment, announced on Tuesday that he would appoint two judges to the Constitutional Court, one recommended by the ruling party and the other from the opposition.
He said he plans to wait to fill the remaining vacancies until the two parties reach an agreement on candidates.
As a general rule, the court needs seven justices to consider impeachment, and at least six votes (the number of sitting justices) are required to remove a president from office.
The court is expected to issue a decision by June, but that deadline is not binding. If Yoon is removed from office, a presidential election must be held within 60 days.
