South Korean court issues warrant to arrest President Yoon Suk Yeol

By Reuters December 30, 2024 | 06:24 pm PT

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks at his office in Seoul on Dec. 12, 2024. Photo by Reuters

A South Korean court on Tuesday approved an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol, who has been impeached and suspended from power over his decision to impose martial law on Dec. 3, investigating authorities said.

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials confirmed the Seoul Western District Court approved the warrant.

This is the first ever arrest warrant issued for an incumbent president in South Korea, according to local media.

On Monday, South Korean investigators sought an arrest warrant for Yoon over this month’s short-lived imposition of martial law.

Yoon is facing a criminal investigation into possible insurrection charges. The court declined to comment.

He has failed to respond to multiple summons for questioning by the police and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, who are jointly investigating whether his Dec. 3 martial-law declaration amounted to insurrection.

The police have tried but failed to successfully raid the presidential office as part of the investigation.

Yoon was suspended from presidential powers after being impeached by Parliament earlier in December over his decision to briefly impose martial law.

Masked martial law troops equipped with rifles, body armor and night-vision equipment entered Parliament where they faced off with staffers who opposed them with fire extinguishers.

The decree lasted just hours until Parliament voted it down and Yoon backed down.

The move shocked the nation, which has been a democracy since the 1980s, and caused international alarm among allies, such as the U.S., and trading partners with Asia's fourth-largest economy.

A Constitutional Court trial to determine whether to reinstate Yoon or remove him permanently from office is ongoing. It has 180 days to reach a decision.