South Korean anti-corruption investigators on Tuesday secured a new court-ordered arrest warrant for impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, whose failed martial law effort threw the country into turmoil. The former star prosecutor has refused to be questioned three times since his December 3 martial law decree plunged South Korea into its worst political crisis in decades.
As anti-corruption officials and police received a new warrant from the same court that issued the first order, Yoon remained in his residence surrounded by hundreds of guards, preventing him from being detained.
“A re-requested arrest warrant for suspect Yoon was issued this afternoon,” the Joint Investigation Headquarters said in a statement.
The Seoul Western District Court declined to confirm when contacted by AFP.
The Corruption Investigation Office (CIO), which is leading the investigation into the President, has kept the duration of the requested warrant secret after the initial seven-day period expires.
If investigators are able to detain Yoon, he would become the first South Korean president to be arrested.
But they will only have 48 hours to either request a second arrest warrant to keep him in custody or force his release.
Anti-corruption officials have asked for more time and assistance because of the difficulties they have faced, including being met by hundreds of security forces as Yoon entered the presidential residence on Friday.
Yun is being investigated on rebellion charges and if formally arrested and convicted, he could face prison or, in a worst-case scenario, the death penalty.
His lawyers repeatedly said the initial warrant was “unlawful”, promising to take further legal action against it.
He has argued that the CIO does not have the authority to investigate because rebellion is not included in the list of crimes it can investigate.
Regardless of the outcome of Yun’s case, the vibrant East Asian democracy finds itself in uncharted territory – its sitting president may have been arrested, or he may have escaped court-ordered detention.
‘Castle’
CIO chief Oh Dong-woon apologized Tuesday for the failed earlier arrest attempt and said he was “heartbroken.”
“I must express my sincere regret to the public for the failure to execute the arrest warrant due to the security measures taken by the Presidential Security Service,” he told MPs in the National Assembly.
Yun’s presidential guards refused to withdraw during a six-hour standoff at his residence on Friday.
CIO, which was founded less than four years ago and has less than 100 employees, has not yet prosecuted a single case.
“Naturally, he has no prior experience in arrests, let alone something as important as arresting a president,” said Yoon Bok-nam, president of Lawyers for a Democratic Society, who is not involved in the investigation.
South Korea’s opposition Democratic Party told AFP on Monday it has filed a legal complaint against acting President Choi Sang-mok for “dereliction of duty” after he failed to intervene as requested.
South Korea’s Constitutional Court has set Yoon’s impeachment trial for January 14, which will proceed in absentia if he does not attend.
Local media reported that he was likely to appear on inauguration day, but Yun’s lawyer told AFP that his appearance was still “undetermined”.
Former presidents Roh Moo-hyun and Park Geun-hye never appeared for their impeachment trials in 2004 and 2016–2017, respectively.
The court has up to 180 days to decide whether to fire Yun or reinstate him as president.
Opposition party lawmaker Yoon Kun-young told local media that Yoon’s residence was “turning into a fortress”, claiming that guards were erecting barbed wire and vehicle barricades.
Despite the cold, many supporters are camping outside his residence.
While officials are unable to reach Yun, the Joint Investigation Team goes after the top military officials behind the martial law plan.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
