A South Korean court has issued an arrest warrant for the impeached and suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol, intensifying the country’s most severe political crisis in decades. Investigators probing Yoon’s controversial declaration of martial law announced the development on Tuesday after the embattled leader failed to appear for questioning three times.
The Joint Investigation Headquarters confirmed the arrest warrant’s issuance, alongside a search warrant, in a statement released Tuesday morning. The suspended president, whose parliamentary impeachment awaits confirmation by a constitutional court, faces criminal charges of insurrection. These charges carry penalties ranging from life imprisonment to the death penalty under South Korean law.
The charges stem from Yoon’s brief but unprecedented suspension of civilian rule earlier this month. The move triggered widespread political turmoil, leading to his removal from presidential duties by the National Assembly. However, a final ruling on his impeachment by South Korea’s Constitutional Court remains pending.
“The arrest warrant and search warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol, requested by the Joint Investigation Headquarters, were issued this morning,” the investigation agency stated. A Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) official clarified the rationale, emphasizing concerns over Yoon’s repeated absences from questioning sessions. “The reason for the warrant is that there is a concern that the individual may refuse to comply with summons without justifiable reasons, and there is sufficient probable cause to suspect the commission of a crime,” the official explained during a Tuesday briefing.
The warrant is valid until January 6, allowing authorities to detain Yoon at a police station or the Seoul detention center if apprehended. This legal action comes amid growing public outrage and political tension over Yoon’s brief attempt to impose martial law, a move viewed as a severe breach of democratic principles.
However, Yoon’s legal team has sharply criticized the arrest warrant. His lawyer, Yoon Kab-keun, dismissed the court’s decision as “illegal and invalid,” arguing that investigators lack the jurisdiction to pursue such charges against a sitting president. “The arrest warrant and search and seizure warrant issued at the request of an agency without investigative authority are illegal and invalid,” the lawyer stated in a message to AFP.
The unfolding political crisis has left South Korea at a critical juncture, with the constitutional court’s decision on the impeachment set to determine the country’s political future.
