Seoul
CNN
—
A South Korean court on Tuesday approved an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol, the embattled leader who plunged the country into political chaos by his shock decision to declare martial law nearly a month ago.
This is the first time a sitting South Korean president has faced an arrest warrant.
Yoon was stripped of his presidential powers after South Korea’s parliament voted to impeach him earlier this month after some members of his own ruling party turned on him following his refusal to resign over the December 3 decree.
South Korea’s anti-corruption agency said the Seoul Western District Court granted the warrant Tuesday for Yoon on charges of abuse of authority and orchestrating a rebellion.
The arrest warrant was issued after Yoon, a former prosecutor, had refused to answer three summonses by investigators in recent weeks asking for his cooperation, according to the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO).
Yoon is wanted for questioning in multiple investigations, including accusations of leading an insurrection – a crime punishable by life imprisonment or even the death penalty.
On Monday, South Korean law enforcement officials requested the warrant.
The president’s lawyer, Yoon Kab-keun, called the issuance of an arrest warrant “illegal and invalid,” while speaking to reporters Tuesday.
“It’s a warrant request from an agency that’s clearly not authorized by law, and the warrant request process was not transparent,” Yoon said, referring to the request made by the CIO.
An arrest warrant must usually be executed within seven days, but can be extended, according to the CIO.
Road to impeachment
Yoon has largely stayed away from public light in recent weeks as he also faces a Constitutional Court trial on whether he will be formally removed from the presidency or reinstated in office – a process that could take up to six months.
The court held its first pretrial hearing on December 27, which Yoon was not in attendance for. His presence is not mandatory.
The court has vowed to take the case as a “top priority” along with other impeachment cases the opposition has pushed for against Yoon’s administration, including the justice minister, prosecutors and other senior officials.
The nine-member court, however, currently only has six justices, due to a delay in filling vacancies left by retired justices, further complicating matters.
Under South Korean law, at least six out of nine justices must approve an impeachment for it to be upheld. The court has not yet decided whether the six sitting justices alone can rule on Yoon’s fate. But if they are able to, all six would have to vote in support of the impeachment to formally remove Yoon.
A second pretrial hearing is scheduled for Friday.
Yoon has been banned from leaving the country and top officials from his government have also been arrested and indicted on allegations of insurrection.
The country was further plunged into political uncertainty last Friday when South Korea’s parliament voted to also impeach prime minster and acting president Han Duck-soo, who had assumed the presidential duties after Yoon, over his refusal to start the process of filling the three vacant seats in the Constitutional Court.
Han defended his choice, urging the ruling and opposition parties to first reach an agreement before appointments can be made.
The finance minister and deputy prime minister, Choi Sang-mok, is now the acting president.
Only two days into his presidential duties, Choi is tasked with not only a political crisis but also leading a country in mourning after one of the deadliest aviation disasters in nearly 30 years.
All but two people on the Jeju Air flight 7C 2216, which was carrying 175 passengers and six crew from Bangkok to Muan county, died after it crash-landed at an airport on Sunday.
This is a developing story.