South Korean court issues arrest warrant for President Yoon

2024-12-31 09:35:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

A South Korean court on Tuesday issued an arrest warrant for the country's president, Yoon Suk Yeol, and raided his residence and office on suspicion of sedition in connection with the short-lived declaration of martial law.

This is the first time an arrest warrant has been issued for a sitting president in South Korea. However, experts say an arrest or raid is unlikely unless Yoon is removed from office first.

The Seoul District Court issued the warrant for Yoon's arrest and the search of the presidential office and his residence in central Seoul, according to a statement from the Office of Corruption Investigation for Senior Officials, which is leading the investigation along with police and military authorities.

It says it is investigating whether Yoon's declaration of martial law on Dec. 3 amounted to mutiny. Under South Korean law, the leader of an insurgency can face the death penalty or life imprisonment if found guilty.

Rebellion is one of the charges against which the South Korean president has no immunity.

Yoon was suspended from all presidential duties after being fired by Parliament for temporarily imposing martial law in the country.

Martial law only lasted a few hours, as Parliament voted to lift it and Yoon stepped down.

According to the law, the president in South Korea is only allowed to declare martial law during times of war or similar emergencies, and he does not have the right to suspend the work of Parliament even by martial law.

Yoon has insisted that his declaration of martial law was a legal act, calling it a warning to the main opposition Democratic Party, which he has called a "baby boomer", saying it used its legislative majority. to topple high officials and undermine the Government's budget.

South Korea's Constitutional Court is expected to rule on Yoon's dismissal or reinstatement.

Experts said Yoon will likely ignore the arrest warrant. Yoon has already ignored repeated requests from investigators for questioning, while the presidential security service has not allowed them to search either Yoon's office or residence, citing a law that prohibits raids in countries where state secrets.

Yoon Kap-keun, the president's lawyer, called the arrest warrant "invalid and illegal."

The presidential security service has said it will provide security to Yoon in accordance with the law.

The anti-corruption agency has said it has no immediate plans to implement the arrest and search warrants against him.

"If Yoon does not willingly allow them to arrest him, then there is no way they can arrest him," said Choi Jin, director of the Institute for Presidential Leadership in Seoul./ Rel