On Tuesday, the Seoul court issued a warrant for the arrest of President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was removed from power due to the unsuccessful imposition of martial law, making him the first sitting president of South Korea to face arrest, reports the South Korean agency Yonhap.
The court approved the request of the Office for the Investigation of Corruption among High-ranking Officials (CIO), which was filed after Yoon ignored all three summonses demanding his appearance for questioning regarding the brief declaration of martial law.
An official representative of the CIO stated that the arrest warrant is valid for a week, until next Monday, and that after his arrest, Yoon may be held at the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, south of Seoul.
Yoon's defense team immediately released a press statement declaring that they could not agree with the arrest warrant, calling it "illegal and invalid," as it was issued at the request of an investigative body that does not have real jurisdiction over cases of rebellion.
Although Yoon has presidential immunity from criminal prosecution, by law this privilege does not extend to charges of rebellion or treason.
Yoon was suspended from his duties after the opposition-controlled National Assembly voted for his impeachment on December 14 in connection with the imposition of martial law, which lasted six hours before being overturned by a parliamentary vote.
The Constitutional Court has begun considering whether to remove Yoon from office or reinstate him. It has 180 days from December 14 to make its decision.