Arrest warrant issued for impeached South Korean president as political crisis deepens

AND South Korean court on Tuesday approved arrest warrants for impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol and to search his office and residence amid a criminal investigation into his state of emergency decree earlier this month.

The move marks the first time a sitting president of the country has faced arrest and after weeks of intense political turmoil in South Korea, Asia’s fourth largest economy and a key American ally. The country is also dealing with the deadly Jeju Air plane crash that killed 179 people on Sunday.

Seoul’s Western District Court issued warrants to detain Yoon and search the presidential office and residence in central Seoul, according to a statement from the High-ranking Corruption Investigation Bureau, which is conducting a joint investigation with police and military authorities.

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The agency says it is investigating whether Yoon’s Dec. 3 statement constituted sedition, and he has been suspended from duty.

Under South Korean law, the leader of the rebellion could face the death penalty or life in prison if convicted.

It is unclear when authorities will resume issuing warrants, and the president’s lawyer has labeled the warrants “invalid” and “illegal.” His whereabouts are not publicly known, and he has been banned from leaving the country.

Yoon enjoys presidential immunity from most prosecutions, but that privilege does not apply to charges of sedition or treason.

Under the law, South Korea’s president is only allowed to declare a state of emergency during war or similar emergencies, and he has no right to suspend parliament even under a state of emergency.

Yoon suddenly imposed martial law and vowed to eliminate “anti-state” forces after struggling to push his agenda through the opposition-dominated parliament. However, the state of emergency was only in effect for about six hours from National Assembly voted to overturn the president’s decision.

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Lawmakers then submitted a motion to impeach the president over his declaration of a state of emergency, with the head of the People’s Power Party, Han Dong-hun, criticizing the declaration of a state of emergency as “unconstitutional”.

After declaring martial law, Yoon sent hundreds of soldiers and police into parliament to try to block his vote on the decree before withdrawing after parliament rejected it. There was no major violence, but public protests against and in support of Yoon grew.

The National Assembly voted to impeach him on December 14, during which hundreds of soldiers and police were deployed in the assembly.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who took over from Yoon as acting president, also recalled parliament after failing to fill three judgeships on the nine-member constitutional court. Yoon can only be removed from office if a court confirms his impeachment.

Experts say adding more judges could increase the chances of Yoon’s impeachment because it requires the support of at least six judges. The next hearing in Yoon’s case before the Constitutional Court is scheduled for Friday.

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Kim Yong-hyun, who resigned as Yoon’s defense minister after playing an important role in the emergency decree, was detained and indicted on Friday on charges of sedition and abuse of power.

New acting president Choi Sang-mok chaired a meeting of the task force investigating the Jeju Air disaster on Monday. The Boeing 737-800 plane landed without the front landing gear activated, overshot the runway and hit the concrete fence and burst into a ball of fire.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.