Court’s issuance of warrant marks first time South Korean authorities have sought to detain a sitting president.
A South Korean court has issued an arrest warrant for impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol over his short-lived declaration of martial law in a historic first.
Seoul Western District Court on Tuesday approved the warrant following a request by the Joint Investigation Headquarters, investigating the embattled South Korean leader for insurrection and abuse of power.
Authorities have sought to detain a sitting South Korean president for the first time.
When authorities might attempt to take Yoon into custody is still uncertain.
Yoon’s security detail has previously obstructed investigators from executing search warrants at the presidential office compound and his official residence.
The Presidential Security Service stated that it would handle the warrant in accordance with legal processes.
Media speculations suggest that Yoon is unlikely to be immediately arrested as authorities would coordinate with the presidential security service.
If Yoon is taken into custody, investigators would have 48 hours to decide on further questioning or release.
Yun Gap-geun, Yoon’s lawyer, criticized the warrant as “illegal and invalid”, arguing against the CIO’s authority to investigate the president for insurrection.
Kwon Sung-dong, the floor leader of Yoon’s People’s Power Party, also criticized the court’s decision, calling it “inappropriate”.
Yoon faces potential life imprisonment or the death penalty for his martial law declaration on December 3.
Although Yoon cannot be prosecuted for most crimes while in office, he lacks immunity for rebellion or treason.
Yoon has been suspended from duties since his impeachment on December 14.
The opposition-controlled legislature voted to impeach acting president Han Duck-soo, transferring authority to Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok.
The opposition impeached Han over his delay in appointing justices to the Constitutional Court.
The court has up to six months to decide on Yoon’s impeachment.
Yoon defended his martial law decree as legal and necessary, citing threats from “anti-state forces” and obstructionism by his opposition rivals.
