South Korea: Arrest Warrant Issued for President Yoon
Ousted President Yoon Suk-yeol remains under protection by his presidential guard, while his aides have thwarted all previous attempts by investigators to search his office
As South Korea’s Constitutional Court turtles through the case of ousted President Yoon Suk-yeol (pictured), a court in Seoul, the Asian nation’s capital, issued an arrest warrant on Tuesday, December 31, for the suspended president, who has been charged with “mutiny for attempting to impose martial law in early December 2024.”
The Bureau for the Investigation of Corruption of Senior Officials released a statement saying that “a warrant has been issued for Yoon’s arrest and for searches related to his case.” No details have been released about when such warrants might be executed – if that happens, Yoon would be the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested.
According to the South Korean press, “the issuance of the arrest warrant represents an escalation of ongoing political tensions in South Korea and comes at the end of a tumultuous month in the country’s short democratic history.” Let’s recall that Yoon “threw the country into chaos on December 3 when he suddenly announced a plan to impose martial law and sent soldiers to raid the headquarters of the National Assembly (parliament).” The coup attempt lasted several hours as “lawmakers who managed to break into parliament immediately voted and unanimously rejected Yoon’s martial law, after which the president withdrew it.”
In the weeks since the coup attempt, Yoon has appeared in public only once, giving a short televised speech on December 7, in which he apologized for “causing anxiety and discomfort” by declaring martial law. On December 14, parliamentarians voted and approved the “impeachment” of Yoon, who was immediately suspended from his duties. The South Korean people are now awaiting a final ruling from the Constitutional Court, which has 180 days to comment on the matter. The problem is that there are three vacant seats on the Constitutional Court out of nine. Meanwhile, Yoon remains protected by his presidential guard, and his aides have foiled all previous attempts by investigators to search his office, according to local media reports. Yoon ignored three summonses to appear for questioning and expressed no intention to cooperate with the investigation.
