South Korean court issues arrest warrants for impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol, search of his office

A South Korean court issued the arrest warrants on Tuesday impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol and search his office and residence over his short-term declaration of a state of emergency.

The country’s anti-corruption agency said it was investigating whether his statement amounted to sedition. But experts still say there is little chance of detentions or searches unless Yoon is formally removed from office.

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.

Under South Korean law, the leader of the rebellion could face the death penalty or life in prison if convicted. Yoon enjoys presidential immunity from most prosecutions, but the privilege does not apply to charges of sedition or treason.

Yoon’s powers have been suspended since the opposition-controlled National Assembly voted to impeach him on December 14 over his imposition of martial law, which drew hundreds of soldiers and police to the streets of Seoul.

Yoon argued that his decree was a legitimate act of governance, calling it a warning to the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, which he called a “monster” and an “anti-state force” that has used its legislative majority to impeach top officials, undermine the government’s budget, and which he claims to sympathize with North Korea.

The Constitutional Court has to decide whether to remove Yoon from his duties as president or reinstate him.

Experts say Yoon is likely to ignore the orders. He has ignored repeated requests by investigative authorities to appear for questioning, and the presidential security service has blocked attempts to search his office and residence, citing a law that prohibits raids on sites with state secrets.

Yoon’s lawyer rejected the anti-corruption agency’s request for warrants on Monday, arguing that it lacked the legal authority to investigate the sedition allegations.

The anti-corruption agency said it had no immediate plans on how to proceed with the warrants.

“Unless Yoon voluntarily allows them to shut him down, there is no way they can shut him down,” said Choi Jin, director of the Seoul-based Institute for Presidential Leadership. “Should the investigators face off with the security service?

Choi said investigators are still likely to visit Yoon’s residence to show that they are strictly and honestly conducting their work.

Park Sung-min, president of Seoul-based political consulting firm MIN Consulting, said the push for an arrest warrant was likely an attempt to pressure Yoon to cooperate with the investigation.

Former President Park Geun-hye, who was ousted from office in 2017 after being impeached over a corruption scandal, also refused to meet with prosecutors while in office. She was subjected to their interrogation and was arrested after the Constitutional Court removed her from office.

Yoon’s imposition of martial law lasted only six hours, but it caused major political turmoil, stalling high-level diplomacy and roiling financial markets. Despite Yoon’s deployment of the military and police, enough lawmakers managed to enter the assembly hall to oust him unanimously.

Yoon’s defense minister, police chief and several top military commanders have already been arrested for their roles in imposing martial law.

Yoon claimed he was not trying to stop the assembly from functioning, saying troops were sent to maintain order, and also denied planning to arrest politicians. However, the comments of the now-arrested military unit commanders addressed to the assembly contradict this claim. Kwak Jong-keun, commander of the military’s Special Warfare Command, testified in the National Assembly that Yoon called on troops to “quickly break down the door and pull out the MPs who are inside.” Kwak said he did not carry out Yoon’s orders.

The country’s political crisis deepened last Friday, when the Democratic Party and other small opposition parties voted to impeach acting President Han Duck-soo over a row over his refusal to fill three judicial seats on the Constitutional Court. Observers say adding more judges could affect the court’s decision on Yoon’s impeachment.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Choi Sang-mok, has become the new interim leader of South Korea.