South Korea’s Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) requested an arrest warrant for President Yoon Seok-yul. The CIO is investigating whether his short-lived martial law decree amounted to insurrection.
The joint investigative headquarters, comprising of the CIO, police, and the Defense Ministry, announced that it had requested an arrest warrant for Yoon at the Seoul Western District Court around midnight on Dec. 30. This is the first time South Korean history that an arrest warrant has been requested for a sitting president.
The CIO had previously summoned President Yoon three times for questioning on charges of insurrection and abuse of power, but he refused to comply with all three requests.
The CIO pushed forward with filing an arrest warrant after Yoon ignored the investigation team’s third request to appear for questioning on Dec. 29. Under South Korean law, investigators can request an arrest warrant if a suspect fails or is likely to fail to cooperate without a valid reason.
Yoon has denied the CIO’s charges, and his legal defense team has clarified that “responding to the impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court takes priority over the investigation.” The team also stated that until the prosecution, police, and CIO address disputes regarding who takes the lead in the Dec. 3 martial law investigation, Yoon will not appear for questioning.
“The CIO does not have investigative authority over insurrection cases,” said Seok Dong-hyun, a lawyer on Yoon’s defense team.
If the court approves the arrest warrant, the investigation team will try to detain Yoon, who is currently residing in the presidential residence in Hannam-dong after the impeachment motion against him was passed at the National Assembly earlier this month. The attempt to detain him could result in a standoff with the Presidential Security Service, which oversees the president’s safety.
If an arrest is made, prosecutors must decide within 48 hours whether to seek a formal detention warrant. If approved, Yoon could be held in custody for up to 20 days before formal charges are filed.
