South Korea’s Joint Investigation Unit on Monday sought an arrest warrant to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over the brief imposition of martial law earlier this month.
“The Joint Investigation Headquarters filed an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol at the Seoul Western District Court,” the investigative team said.
Prosecutors’ application for the warrant is believed to be the first attempt to forcibly detain a sitting president in the country’s constitutional history.
A court will decide whether to issue a warrant.
Why are investigators asking for an arrest warrant?
Yoon has dodged multiple requests to appear for questioning by the joint investigation team and government prosecutors. He has also banned the search of his office related to the investigation.
Investigators plan to interrogate Yoon on charges of abuse of authority and plotting to rebel.
The declaration of martial law on 3 December was immediately met with opposition from politicians, with MPs immediately passing a resolution demanding Yoon to withdraw his order.
On December 14, lawmakers voted to impeach the president over his failed attempt to impose military rule, suspending his presidential powers.
However, it is up to the Constitutional Court to confirm the impeachment and remove Yun from office or restore his powers. This process may take months.
Short-term martial law plunges South Korea into crisis
A few days after his attempt to impose martial law, Yoon apologized Saying that he would not avoid legal and political responsibility for his actions.
Yet he later came out to defend his decision and said it was a measure to protect the country’s democracy.
Opposition party members have criticized his repeated disregard of the summons and warned against possible destruction of evidence.
Yun faces multiple investigations, including possible charges of leading a rebellion, a crime punishable by life imprisonment or even the death penalty.
The country’s political crisis deepened when parliament last week impeached acting President Han Duk-soo over his reluctance to fill three Constitutional Court vacancies.
rmt/lo (AFP, AP, Reuters)
