SEOUL: A South Korean court has issued an arrest warrant for impeached, suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol, investigators said on Tuesday (Dec 31), over his short-lived bid to impose martial law on the country.
“The arrest warrant and search warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol, requested by the Joint Investigation Headquarters, were issued this morning,” the Joint Investigation Headquarters said in a statement.
“No schedule has been set for future proceedings,” it added.
This is the first ever arrest warrant issued for an incumbent president in South Korea, according to local media.
Investigators probing Yoon over his declaration of martial law requested the warrant on Monday after the suspended president failed to report for questioning a third time.
Yoon briefly suspended civilian rule this month, plunging South Korea into its worst political crisis in decades.
He was stripped of his presidential duties by parliament over the action, but a constitutional court ruling is pending on whether to confirm the impeachment.
The conservative leader also faces criminal charges of insurrection, which could result in life imprisonment or even the death penalty.
The warrant was issued about 33 hours after it was requested – which local media claim is the “longest time in history for a warrant hearing”, indicating the court was debating how to proceed.
Even though the warrant has been issued, it is unclear whether investigators and police will be able to execute it.
The Presidential Security Service has previously refused to comply with three search warrants.
Police were deployed early on Tuesday outside Yoon’s residence in central Seoul, in a likely bid to head off scuffles.
Yoon’s supporters and protesters calling for his removal have both staked out his residence, with local media running images of altercations between the two camps overnight.
Local media reported than an imminent arrest or search of the presidential residence was unlikely, as investigators would probably seek to coordinate with the presidential security service.
Technically, anyone obstructing the execution of an arrest warrant could be arrested.
