South Korea court issues warrant to arrest impeached President Yoon

Seoul court said issued an arrest warrant for South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol who was suspended for wanting to impose martial law on December 3.

The document comes after Yoon, who is under investigation for abuse of power and inciting terrorism, ignored three summonses for questioning in the past two weeks.

Yoon’s legal team said the document was “illegal and invalid” and said it would challenge it in court.

South Korea has been in a political crisis since the declaration of long-term martial law, Yoon and his successor were both impeached by parliament.

Yoon is the first South Korean president to be arrested.

Investigators have until January 6 to submit the permit and can request an extension.

It is unclear, however, whether investigators will be able to hand over the document because it could hinder his defense team and the prosecution.

The presidential security agency previously barred investigators from entering the presidential office and Yoon’s private residence for court-ordered investigations.

In the past, authorities in South Korea have stopped arresting prominent politicians after supporters and supporters blocked police.

On Monday, Yoon’s legal team said investigators do not have the authority to arrest him, as declaring martial law is within the president’s authority.

Yoon had previously defended his decision to declare martial law and vowed to “fight to the end” – although he also said that he would not avoid his legal and political responsibility.

His lawyer, Yun Gap-geun, said Yoon’s failure to comply with the original summons was due to “legitimate concerns”.

Yoon’s whereabouts are unknown, but they prevent him from leaving the country.

Although he has been suspended from the presidency since December 14 after parliament voted to impeach him, he can only be removed from office if his removal is upheld by a national court.

There are currently only six judges on the nine-person bench of the Constitutional Court. This means that one rejection could save Yoon from being fired.

Opposition lawmakers had hoped that the appointment of three more judges would improve the chances of Yoon’s impeachment, but those demands were opposed by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo last week.

The opposition voted to remove Han, who had stepped in as acting director after Yoon’s suspension.

Now, they are threatening to do the same to Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, who currently serves as president and prime minister.

Additional reporting by Kelly Ng