A South Korean Court has issued an arrest warrant for impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived imposition of martial law.
According to the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO), the arrest warrant was issued after Yoon, a former prosecutor, had refused to answer three summonses by investigators in recent weeks asking for his cooperation.
Under the country’s constitution, if a sitting president is accused of insurrection, the police can arrest him while he is still in office. However, the court’s decision to grant the warrant on Tuesday marks the first for a president in the country’s history.
CIO who has kept Yoon on a watchlist noted on Tuesday that Investigators have until 6 January to execute the warrant approved by a court in the capital Seoul, and can request an extension.
However, Yoon’s legal team said that investigators had no authority to arrest him, as declaring martial law was within the president’s constitutional authority.
His lawyer, Yun Gap-Geun, said that Yoon’s failure to comply with the earlier three summonses was due to “legitimate concerns”.
Yoon’s whereabouts are not publicly known, but he has been banned from leaving the country.
“It’s a warrant request from an agency that’s not authorized by law, and the warrant request process was not transparent,” Yoon said, referring to the request made by the CIO.
The impeached president’s downfall began on Dec. 3 when he declared martial law in a televised speech saying it was needed to defend the country from pro-North Korean anti-state forces and protect the free constitutional order.
The sudden declaration caused a standoff with parliament, which rejected Yoon’s attempt to ban political activity and censor the media, dissolving the order with 190 of its 300 members present, who unanimously passed the motion.
