A South Korean court has approved an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk-yeol, who was removed from power due to his decision to impose martial law in the country in early December, according to Reuters.
Reportedly, the Corruption Investigation Unit confirmed that the Western District Court of Seoul approved the arrest warrant on Tuesday, December 31, at the request of investigators looking into Yoon's brief declaration of martial law. This is the first arrest warrant issued for a sitting president in South Korea.
The Secretary-General did not comment on the court's reasoning for issuing the warrant. The court declined to provide any comments.
It remains unclear when and how the arrest warrant for Yoon will be executed. The presidential security service will review the warrant in accordance with proper legal procedures.
Additionally, the court approved a search warrant for the president's residence. Kwon Seong-dong, the acting leader of the ruling People Power Party, stated that attempting to detain the sitting president is inappropriate.
Previously, police attempted but failed to search the presidential office as part of the investigation, as the presidential security service blocked access.
As reported, on December 27, the South Korean parliament voted on Friday in favor of the removal of acting president Han Duck-soo, according to the Yonhap news agency.
Earlier, the parliament had removed President Yoon Suk-yeol from power. The reason for this action against Yoon Suk-yeol was his attempt to impose martial law on December 3 to combat political opponents. This decision sparked outrage among the country's citizens, prompting the parliament to quickly vote unanimously to revoke the martial law. Ultimately, Yoon Suk-yeol agreed to rescind his order.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-korea-court-issues-arrest-warrant-president-yoon-yonhap-reports-2024-12-31/