A South Korean court issued an arrest warrant for impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol. The warrant, approved by the Seoul Western District Court, addresses his short-lived martial law declaration. The Joint Investigation Headquarters, including officials from the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO), police and Ministry of Defence, requested the warrant.
“The arrest warrant and search warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol, requested by the Joint Investigation Headquarters, were issued this morning,” the investigation team confirmed. Authorities must decide within 48 hours whether to detain Yoon for questioning or release him.
Read more: Yoon Faces Criticism for Ignoring Summons in Martial Law Case
Yoon’s lawyer, Yun Gap-geun, criticised the warrant as “illegal and invalid.” He argued that the CIO lacks authority to investigate insurrection cases involving the president. Yoon’s legal team plans to seek an injunction at the Constitutional Court to overturn the decision.
Yoon’s impeachment by the National Assembly in December had a 204-85 vote. Recently, lawmakers also impeached Acting President Han Duck-soo, transferring authority to Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok. The Constitutional Court will decide Yoon’s fate within six months, potentially removing or reinstating him.
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