SEÙL — A court South Korean issued an order arrest against President Yoon Suk Yeol, suspended from office following an impeachment vote in Parliament, those in charge of the investigation said on Tuesday for his brief declaration of martial law.
“The search and arrest warrants against President Yoon Suk Yeol (…) were issued this morning,” the body carrying out the joint investigation against him said in a statement.
“No timetable has been established for the following procedures,” he added.
It is the first time in South Korean history that a sitting president, although suspended from office, has been the subject of an arrest warrant.
Although the National Assembly approved Yoon’s dismissal on December 14, it must still be ratified by the Constitutional Court, which has until mid-June to make a decision.
Yoon plunged the country into a serious political crisis by suddenly declaring martial law on the night of December 3 and sending the army to the National Assembly to enforce its application.
However, with thousands of protesters in the streets, opposition deputies managed to enter the chamber and assert their majority to vote against the law and force the president to back down.
The 64-year-old president, who had previously been a popular prosecutor in South Korea, has ignored up to three summonses to be questioned regarding these events, which led investigators to request an arrest warrant against him on Monday.
