Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached in Parliament and is the target of an investigation into a martial law decree; warrant was requested after Yoon ignored three summonses to be questioned about the events
The South Korean court has issued an arrest order against President Yoon Suk Yeol, currently suspended from his duties after an impeachment vote in Parliament, those responsible for the investigation into his brief declaration of martial law. “The search and arrest orders against President Yoon Suk Yeol […] were issued this morning,” the body responsible for the joint investigation against him said in a statement. “No schedule has been defined for the next procedures,” he added.
This is the first time in the history of that a president in office, even when suspended from his duties, is subject to an arrest warrant. Although the National Assembly approved Yoon’s impeachment on December 14, the decision still needs to be ratified by the Constitutional Court, which has until mid-June to make a final decision. The conservative leader also faces criminal charges for insurrection, a crime that, in South Korea, can be punished by life in prison or the death penalty.
Yoon plunged the country into a serious political crisis by surprisingly declaring martial law on the night of December 3 and sending the army to the National Assembly to enforce its implementation. However, with thousands of protesters on the streets, opposition deputies managed to enter the plenary and use their majority to vote against the law, forcing the president to back down. In a ten-page report seen by AFP, investigators say Yoon authorized the military to fire, if necessary, to take over the National Assembly during the application of martial law. The president’s lawyer, Yoon Kab-keun, told AFP that this report is “a partial report that corresponds neither to objective circumstances nor to common sense.”
Uncertainty about application
The 64-year-old, who was previously a popular prosecutor in South Korea, ignored up to three summons to be questioned about the events, which led investigators to request an arrest warrant for him on Monday. The order was only approved 33 hours later, which, according to local media, is the longest time for this procedure, indicating that there was debate among the magistrates responsible for analyzing the case.
It is not clear, however, whether investigators and police will be able to carry it out. So far, Yoon’s security service has blocked access to presidential facilities on three occasions. For now, the police have deployed additional troops around Yoon’s residence in central Seoul, where clashes between supporters and critics of the president took place overnight. Local media assesses that it is unlikely that the president will be arrested immediately and considers that investigators will try to coordinate the procedure with Yoon’s security services. Technically, anyone who obstructs the execution of this order could be arrested.
*With information from AFP
Posted by Victor Oliveira