South Korea's anti-corruption agency announced on Tuesday that the Seoul Western District Court has issued a detention warrant for impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, alongside approval to search his presidential office. According to a statement by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, the move follows Yoon's controversial and short-lived declaration of martial law earlier this month. The agency is currently investigating whether this declaration could be classified as an "act of 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.
What did anti-corruption agency say?
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.
Charges against Yoon Suk Yeol
Yoon and his military leadership have been accused of attempting to block the National Assembly from voting to end martial law by sending hundreds of heavily armed troops to encircle the building. Lawmakers who managed to get in voted unanimously 190-0 to lift martial law, hours after Yoon declared it in a late-night television address.
Yoon has also been accused of ordering defence counterintelligence officials to detain key politicians, including opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik and the ex-leader of his own conservative party, Han Dong-hun, a reformist who supported investigations into corruption allegations against first lady Kim Keon Hee.
(With inputs from AP)
