Court Issues Arrest Warrant for South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol

A South Korean court has issued an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol, following his recent impeachment and suspension from office over his decision to impose martial law on December 3. Investigators, who have been probing Yoon’s controversial actions, sought the warrant after the ousted president failed to appear for questioning. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) confirmed that the Seoul court had approved the arrest request, which also included a search warrant.

In a statement, the Joint Investigation Headquarters, which led the inquiry, announced that both the arrest and search warrants were issued earlier this morning. However, Yoon’s lawyer, Yoon Kab-keun, rejected the move, calling it “illegal and invalid.” The defense lawyer argued that the warrants were issued by an agency lacking the authority to conduct such investigations.

The arrest warrant relates to accusations of abuse of power and involvement in orchestrating a rebellion. If executed, this would mark the first time an arrest warrant has been issued for an incumbent president in South Korea, according to local media reports.