South Korean police have formally filed a criminal case against suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol on charges of obstructing the execution of an arrest warrant, Korean media reported on Friday.
The Seoul Central District Court held the first hearing in the case of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is accused of organising riots over the imposition of martial law in December 2024. Yoon did not appear, while his lawyers insisted that the president’s actions do not fall under the “organising riots” article. The defence demanded that Yoon’s case be joined with that of the military officers who carried out his orders, including former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun.
The prosecutor’s office, in turn, opposed the merger of the cases and demanded a more intensive schedule of hearings – 2-3 times a week. As a result, the court postponed Yoon’s case to March 24.
In addition, the court considered Yoon’s release from custody. The defence and the defendant himself argue that the Bureau of Investigation of Crimes of High Officials had no right to investigate the case of “domestic disturbance” and therefore detain the president. The Public Prosecutor’s Office, to which Yoon’s case was transferred, found no wrongdoing.
On the same day, the Constitutional Court held its tenth session on the impeachment of Yoon. It was addressed by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who said that at a cabinet meeting on December 3, before martial law was imposed, “everyone was concerned” about the president’s actions and he personally tried to dissuade Yoon. However, only a “missing formality” prevented the president’s decision from being blocked, according to Han.
The Constitutional Court plans to conclude the impeachment hearings on February 25 and issue a ruling in mid-March 2025.
Yoon, who has served as South Korea’s president since 2022, is accused of imposing martial law in the country on December 3, 2024. Although it lasted only six hours, the prosecution believes it crippled the country’s economy. Yoon himself claims he was forced to take this step because of the actions of pro-North Korean forces in the opposition, who he says were planning to establish a dictatorship in the country.
Yoon was arrested on January 15, 2025 (on the second attempt) and formally charged on January 26. This is the first time in South Korea’s history that a sitting president has been under arrest.
If Yoon is proven guilty, he could face up to 20 years in prison and, in the worst case, the death penalty.
