A Seoul court granted the request for an arrest warrant, saying there was ‘concern’ that Yoon might ‘destroy evidence’.
A court in South Korea has authorized the formal arrest of President Yoon Suk Yeol over his decision to declare a state of emergency last month.
Seoul’s Western District Court on Sunday granted law enforcement’s request for an arrest warrant for Yoon after hours of deliberation, saying there was “concern” that Yoon might “destroy evidence.”
Last Wednesday, Yoon became the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested. South Korean investigators probing Yoon for alleged sedition asked a Seoul court on Friday to extend his detention after he refused to be questioned.
Yoon and his lawyers appeared before a court judge during a hearing on Saturday and argued for his release. His arrest could mark the beginning of an extended period of detention for him, lasting several months or more.
He faces potential sedition charges related to his declaration of martial law on December 3, which triggered the country’s most serious political crisis since its democratization in the late 1980s.
The Office of Corruption Investigation for Senior Officials, which is conducting a joint investigation with the police and the military, can now extend his detention for 20 days, during which the case will be forwarded to state attorneys for indictment.
Yoon’s lawyers may also file a motion to challenge the court’s arrest warrant.
