South Korean investigators have requested an arrest warrant for suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol following his short-lived imposition of martial law earlier this December. This will make it the first time an incumbent president has faced such action.
Yoon has been reported to have repeatedly ignored summons for questioning by both the police and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials. These bodies are jointly probing whether his December 3 martial law declaration are grounds for insurrection.
Meanwhile, efforts by the police to raid the presidential office as part of the investigation have been unsuccessful and a Seoul court is now set to decide on the issuance of the arrest warrant.
The crime of insurrection is one of the few charges for which a South Korean president does not enjoy immunity.
Yoon’s lawyer, Yoon Kab-keun, has labeled the arrest request as “unfair,” arguing that the anti-corruption agency lacked the authority to make such a request. “Emergency martial law is within the president’s authority,” he had said outside the Seoul Western District Court after submitting a written opinion and a letter of appointment of lawyers.
The president was suspended from his duties soon after his impeachment by parliament over the martial law decision. The martial law troops, armed with rifles, body armor, and night-vision equipment, had entered the parliament, where they were met with resistance from staffers armed with fire extinguishers. The decree was short-lived, lasting only a few hours before parliament voted it down and Yoon rescinded it.
The martial law proclaim action came as a surprise to South Korean citizens and the rest of the world, even going as far as causing international concern among allies such as the United States and major trading partners in Asia.
A Constitutional Court trial is underway to determine whether Yoon will be reinstated or permanently removed from office. The court has 180 days to reach a decision. During the first preparatory hearing on Friday, a request by Yoon’s lawyers for a postponement to better prepare was denied, with the court saying it would proceed swiftly. The next hearing is slated for January 3.
