South Korean court issues detention warrant for Yoon

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA —

A South Korean court has approved a detention order for impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, who faces sedition charges for trying to impose martial law in December.

The Western District Court in Seoul issued the warrant on Tuesday, marking the first time a sitting South Korean president has faced arrest, according to local media.

Yoon was impeached in mid-December, suspending his presidential powers while the Constitutional Court considers the case.

In addition to the impeachment, Yoon is being investigated for sedition and abuse of power by the government’s Joint Investigation Team.

Yoon ignored three separate subpoenas to appear for questioning as part of that investigation, prompting the court to issue the warrant on Tuesday.

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 called the order “illegal” and said they would file an injunction with the country’s Constitutional Court to stop it.

Yoon’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 until next Monday. But it is not clear when arrests will be attempted or how aggressive authorities will be in trying to enforce the warrant.

The Presidential Security Service has so far prevented investigators from entering the presidential office complex or Yoon’s official residence for court-approved searches, citing security and military reasons.

However, political pressure is mounting on Yoon to comply with investigators.

In Tuesday’s editorial, Chosun Ilboinfluential conservative daily, said Yoon had “no legal recourse” to block the execution of the arrest warrant.

“Blocking its implementation would itself be a violation of the law and could lead to a physical confrontation,” said the editorial, calling on Yoon to face the investigation “with dignity.”

Meanwhile, the acting head of South Korea’s ruling conservative People’s Power Party called the detention order “extremely regrettable” on Tuesday.

South Korean presidents are generally immune from prosecution while in office, except in cases involving rebellion or treason.

Yoon declared a state of emergency on Dec. 3 — the first such decree since South Korea became a democracy in the 1980s — but lawmakers overturned the order within hours.

Yoon said the declaration was necessary to send a “strong message” to his rivals, whom he accused of being North Korean sympathizers and obstructing his plan.

His opponents accuse Yoon of trying to restore South Korea’s military dictatorship and say he needs to be formally removed from office as soon as possible.

The way forward, however, remains uncertain. The Constitutional Court has 180 days to rule on Yoon’s removal, but since three of the judgeships are vacant, all six remaining judges must unanimously accept the impeachment.

Efforts to appoint new judges have stalled, with the opposition threatening to impeach successive acting presidents who refuse to approve them, fueling fears of a prolonged political stalemate that has already hurt the South Korean economy.

Last week, the South Korean won fell to a 16-year low against the US dollar, raising concerns about higher energy import costs and higher consumer prices.