Seoul, South Korea – In a historic first, a South Korean court has issued an arrest warrant for impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol for his declaration of martial law. This marks the first time authorities have sought to detain a sitting South Korean president, adding to the political turmoil in the East Asian nation.
The Seoul Western District Court approved the warrant following a request by the Joint Investigation Headquarters, which is investigating Yoon for insurrection and abuse of power. The warrant was requested by officials from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), police, and the Ministry of Defense. Yoon’s security detail has previously prevented investigators from executing search warrants at the presidential office compound and his official residence, leading to a standoff with authorities.
Yoon’s lawyer has argued that the warrant is “illegal and invalid,” questioning the authority of the CIO to investigate the president for insurrection. Despite the court’s decision, Yoon’s People’s Power Party criticized the warrant, calling it “inappropriate.” Yoon faces potential life imprisonment or even the death penalty for his imposition of martial law in December, which has sparked the country’s biggest political crisis in decades.
Since his impeachment by the National Assembly on December 14, Yoon has been suspended from his duties. Acting president Han Duck-soo was also impeached by the opposition-controlled legislature, further deepening the leadership crisis in South Korea. The impeachment of Han was due to his delay in appointing justices to fill vacancies on the Constitutional Court, which is deliberating Yoon’s impeachment.
The court now has up to six months to decide on Yoon’s removal from office or restoration as president. Meanwhile, Yoon maintains that his martial law decree was legal and necessary, citing the threat of “anti-state forces” and obstructionism by his political opponents. The situation in South Korea continues to evolve as authorities navigate through the legal processes surrounding Yoon’s arrest warrant and impeachment.
