A South Korean court has just issued an arrest warrant for impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol, making it the first time in history that authorities have tried to detain a sitting president.
This unprecedented move came from the Seoul Western District Court on Tuesday after the Joint Investigation Headquarters made a request. They’re looking into allegations of insurrection and abuse of power against Yoon, particularly related to his brief declaration of martial law.
The warrant was officially announced this morning by the Joint Investigation Headquarters, which includes folks from various agencies like the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, police, and even the Ministry of Defence.
It’s still uncertain when they might actually try to arrest Yoon since his security team has previously prevented investigators from carrying out several search warrants at both the presidential office and his official residence.
There’s been some chatter in South Korean media suggesting that Yoon probably won’t be arrested anytime soon, as the authorities are likely to coordinate with the presidential security team first.
Yoon’s lawyer, Yun Gap-geun, claimed that the warrant against him is not only illegal but also invalid, arguing that the Chief Intelligence Office (CIO) doesn’t have the power to investigate a president for insurrection.
Kwon Sung-dong, who leads Yoon’s People’s Power Party in parliament, also weighed in, calling the court’s decision to issue a warrant inappropriate.
Yoon is facing some serious charges—potential life imprisonment or even the death penalty—due to his brief declaration of martial law on December 3rd.
This move has thrown South Korea into its most significant political crisis in decades. Since December 14th, when lawmakers voted overwhelmingly (204-85) for his impeachment, Yoon has been sidelined from his duties.
The situation got even messier recently when the opposition-controlled National Assembly decided to impeach acting president Han Duck-soo as well. Now Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok will take on presidential responsibilities.
The Democratic Party and several smaller opposition parties pushed for Han’s impeachment because he didn’t act quickly enough to appoint three justices needed to fill vacancies on the Constitutional Court—a court that’s currently deciding whether or not to uphold Yoon’s impeachment.
They’ve got up to six months to make their ruling, which will determine if Yoon stays out of office or gets reinstated as president.