World

Court issues arrest warrant for President Yoon

By AAP Newswire

Dec 31, 2024

South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol on TV news screen — A warrant's been issued by a South Korean court for authorities to detain President Yoon Suk Yeol. -AP

South Korea's anti-corruption agency says a court has issued warrants to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol and search his office.

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The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials said in a statement that the Seoul Western District Court issued warrants to detain Yoon over his stunning yet short-lived martial law decree earlier this month and to search the presidential office in central Seoul.

The agency said it is investigating whether his declaration of martial law amounted to rebellion.

Yoon's powers have been suspended since the opposition-controlled National Assembly voted to impeach him on December 14. The Constitutional Court is to determine whether to dismiss Yoon as president or reinstate him.

But he has since ignored repeated requests by investigative authorities to appear for questioning and allow them to search his office.

Yoon has the presidential privilege of immunity from criminal prosecution, but it does not extend to allegations of rebellion or treason.

The anti-corruption agency said it has no immediate plans on how to proceed with the court-issued warrants.

Many observers earlier doubted that authorities would forcefully detain him because of the potential for clashes with the presidential security service.

They say the security service likely won't permit searches of Yoon's office, citing a law that prohibits searches on sites with state secrets without approval from those in charge of those areas.

By AAP Newswire

Australian Associated Press