A vehicle carrying impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arrives at the Seoul Western District Court in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. - AP
SEOUL (Bernama-Yonhap): A Seoul court has issued a warrant to formally arrest impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his failed martial law declaration last month, marking the first-ever detention of a sitting South Korean president.
The Seoul Western District Court approved the warrant, citing concerns over evidence tampering. Yoon faces charges of insurrection and abuse of power for imposing martial law on Dec 3 and allegedly deploying troops to block lawmakers from overturning the decree.
With the warrant, Yoon will remain in custody for up to 20 days, including the days he has already spent in detention since his arrest at his Seoul residence on Wednesday.
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) will hold him for 10 days before transferring the case to the prosecution, which is expected to file formal charges before the deadline.
Yoon’s lawyers argue that the martial law move was a legitimate governance decision to address a political crisis sparked by opposition-led impeachments of Cabinet members and legislative deadlock.
Following the court's ruling, clashes erupted between Yoon's supporters and police, with protesters storming the courthouse and hurling objects at officers. Meanwhile, his critics welcomed the decision, hailing it as a victory for the rule of law.
Yoon’s presidential powers remain suspended pending a Constitutional Court ruling on whether to reinstate or remove him from office. - Bernama-Yonhap
