Arrest warrant issued for ousted South Korean president as political crisis deepens

TO South Korean The court on Tuesday approved arrest warrants to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol and search his office and residence amid a criminal investigation into his martial law decree earlier this month.

The move marks the first time the country’s sitting president has faced arrest and comes after weeks of intense political unrest in South Korea, Asia’s fourth-largest economy and a key ally of the United States. The country is also grappling with the deadly Jeju Air plane crash that killed 179 people on Sunday.

The Seoul Western District Court issued warrants to detain Yoon and search the presidential office and residence in central Seoul, according to a statement from the Corruption Investigation Bureau for Senior Officials, which is leading a joint investigation with the police and military authorities.

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The agency says it has been investigating whether Yoon’s Dec. 3 statement amounted to rebellion and he has been suspended from his position.

Under South Korean law, a rebellion leader can face the death penalty or life in prison if convicted.

It is unclear when authorities will proceed with the orders, and the president’s lawyer called them “invalid” and “illegal.” His whereabouts are not publicly known and he has been prohibited from leaving the country.

Yoon has presidential immunity from most criminal prosecutions, but the privilege does not extend to accusations of rebellion or treason.

By law, a South Korean president can declare martial law only during times of war or similar emergencies and has no right to suspend parliament operations even under martial law.

Yoon abruptly imposed martial law and vowed to eliminate “anti-state” forces after he struggled to advance his agenda in the opposition-dominated parliament. However, martial law was only in effect for about six hours from the national assembly voted to overturn the president’s decision.

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The legislators then presented a motion to impeach the president for his declaration of martial law, with People Power Party leader Han Dong-hun criticizing the declaration of martial law as “unconstitutional.”

After declaring martial law, Yoon sent hundreds of troops and police to parliament to try to prevent a vote on the decree before withdrawing after parliament rejected it. No major violence occurred, but public protests both in opposition and in support of Yoon increased.

The National Assembly voted to remove him on December 14, during which hundreds of troops and police were deployed to the assembly.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who replaced Yoon as acting president, has also been impeached by parliament after he failed to fill three justice seats in the nine-member assembly. constitutional court. Yoon can only be removed from office if the court confirms his impeachment.

Experts say adding more judges could increase Yoon’s chances of impeachment, as that requires the support of at least six judges. The next hearing in Yoon’s case before the Constitutional Court is scheduled for Friday.

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Kim Yong-hyun, who resigned as Yoon’s defense minister after playing a major role in the martial law decree, has been detained and charged Friday with charges of insurrection and abuse of power.

New acting president Choi Sang-mok chaired a meeting of the task force investigating the Jeju Air disaster on Monday. The Boeing 737-800 aircraft landed without the front landing gear deployed, skidded off the runway and crashed into a concrete fence and burst into a fireball.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.