Seoul Western District Court authorised the arrest of South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol after he was removed from power for imposing martial law, according to Reuters.
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) confirmed that the court had approved the arrest warrant requested by investigators. Yoon is accused of leading an insurrection. This is one of the few criminal charges from which the South Korean president has no immunity.
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who succeeded Yoon as acting president, was also impeached by parliament. After his impeachment, Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok took over as acting president. Choi came to power amid Sunday’s crash of Jeju Air flight 7C2216, which killed 179 people.
Meanwhile, Yoon Kab-keun, lawyer for the impeached president, said the arrest warrant was illegal and invalid, as the CIO had no authority under South Korean law to request the warrant. He said the president’s legal team would file a petition with the Constitutional Court.
It is still unclear when and how the arrest warrant for Yoon will be executed. South Korea’s presidential security service said on Tuesday it would review the arrest warrant in accordance with due process. Police had earlier tried but failed to search the presidential office as part of the investigation, as the presidential security service blocked access.
Yoon failed to respond to investigators’ summons for questioning several times after martial law had been announced on 3 December. Lawmakers rejected the decision to impose martial law, with protesters fighting police in the street and Yoon rescinding the order within hours.
The next hearing before the Constitutional Court is set for Friday.
