A South Korean court has approved a detention warrant for impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, who faces rebellion charges over his attempt to impose martial law in December.
The Seoul Western District Court issued the warrant on Tuesday, marking the first time that a sitting South Korean president has faced arrest, according to local media.
Yoon was impeached in mid-December, causing his presidential powers to be suspended while the Constitutional Court reviewed the case.
In addition to impeachment, Yun is being investigated by a joint government investigation team for rebellion and abuse of power.
Yoon ignored three separate summonses to appear for questioning as part of that investigation, leading the court to issue Tuesday’s warrant.
Once Yoon is taken into custody, authorities will have 48 hours to decide whether to file an arrest warrant or release him, Yonhap news agency reported.
In a statement, Yoon’s lawyers described the warrant as “illegal” and said they would file an injunction in the country’s Constitutional Court to stop it.
Yun’s legal team has refused to cooperate with the investigation, arguing that the impeachment trial should take priority over any criminal proceedings.
The arrest warrant is valid till next Monday. But it is unclear when any arrest attempts will be made or how aggressive officers will be in attempting to execute the warrant.
The Presidential Security Service has so far prevented investigators from entering the presidential office complex or Yun’s official residence for court-approved searches, citing security and military reasons.
However, Yoon is facing political pressure to comply with investigators.
In an editorial on Tuesday, Chosun IlboAn influential conservative daily said Yun had “no legal means” to prevent the implementation of the arrest warrant.
“Stopping its implementation would itself be a violation of the law and could lead to physical confrontation,” the editorial said. It urged Yun to face the investigation “with dignity.”
Meanwhile, the acting head of South Korea’s ruling conservative People’s Power Party on Tuesday described the detention warrant as “extremely regrettable.”
South Korean presidents generally enjoy immunity from prosecution while in office, except in cases involving rebellion or treason.
Yoon declared martial law on December 3 – the first such decree since South Korea became a democracy in the 1980s – but lawmakers overturned the order within hours.
Yoon said the announcement was necessary to send a “strong message” to his rivals, whom he accused of obstructing his agenda because they were sympathetic to North Korea.
His opponents accused Yoon of attempting to restore South Korea’s military dictatorship and said he needed to be formally removed from office as soon as possible.
However, the way forward remains uncertain. The Constitutional Court has 180 days to rule on Yoon’s removal, but with three judicial seats vacant, all six remaining justices must unanimously agree to uphold the impeachment.
Efforts to appoint new judges have stalled, with the opposition threatening to impeach successive acting presidents who refuse to approve them, raising fears of a prolonged political standoff that has already hit South Korea’s economy. Have caused harm.
Last week, the value of the South Korean won hit a 16-year low against the US dollar, raising concerns about higher energy import costs and rising consumer prices.