A South Korean court has approved an arrest warrant for suspended President Yoon Suk-yeol, marking the first time in the nation’s history that a sitting president has faced arrest. The warrant, issued Tuesday, relates to Yoon’s controversial martial law decree from December 3.
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) secured the warrant after Yoon ignored three summonses for questioning over the past two weeks. Investigators have until January 6 to execute the warrant, though implementation may prove challenging due to potential resistance from his security detail and supporters.
The crisis has plunged South Korea, a key U.S. ally and Asia’s fourth-largest economy, into political turmoil. Yoon faces investigation for allegedly leading an insurrection – one of the few charges from which South Korean presidents do not have immunity. His legal team has denounced the warrant as “illegal and invalid” and promised to challenge it.
While Yoon has been suspended from presidential duties since December 14 following an impeachment vote, his ultimate removal depends on the Constitutional Court. The court currently operates with only six of its nine judges, meaning a single vote against impeachment would allow Yoon to retain his position.
The political chaos has deepened with the opposition’s successive impeachment moves. After Prime Minister Han Duck-soo vetoed the nomination of additional constitutional court judges, he too was impeached. Now, Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, serving as both acting president and prime minister, faces similar threats from the opposition.
Yoon, whose whereabouts remain unknown but who is banned from leaving the country, has vowed to “fight to the end” while maintaining he won’t avoid his legal responsibilities. His lawyer attributes his failure to appear for questioning to “legitimate concerns.”
On Tuesday, Acting President Choi appointed two new constitutional court judges but indicated that the third appointment would require consensus between opposition and governing parties, highlighting the ongoing political deadlock.
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