South Korea’s special prosecutor has formally requested a court to issue an arrest warrant for former President Yoon Suk Yeol as part of an ongoing investigation into his failed attempt to impose martial law late last year.
The former leader, who is already on trial for insurrection — a charge that carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment or death — was previously detained in January for resisting an earlier arrest but was released after 52 days on technical grounds.
A senior investigator from the special prosecutor’s team confirmed the new warrant is related to obstruction charges. Speaking at a televised briefing, Park Ji-young, a deputy to the special prosecutor, said Yoon had ignored multiple summons and authorities would “not get dragged around” by him.
Lawyers representing the former president argue that no proper summons has been served since the special prosecutor took over the probe, and said Yoon would cooperate once due legal procedure was followed.
The investigation stems from Yoon’s controversial declaration of martial law on December 3, a move he defended as necessary to counter alleged threats from the opposition Democratic Party. The attempt shocked many in South Korea, where democratic institutions have matured significantly since the end of military dictatorship in the 1980s.
Yoon was ousted from office in April, prompting a snap presidential election that was won by liberal candidate Lee Jae-myung. Upon taking office on June 4, President Lee appointed a special prosecutor who has since assembled a team of over 200 prosecutors and investigators to handle the multiple cases against the former president.
The charges against Yoon include masterminding insurrection and obstructing justice, as well as his dramatic stand-off in January when he barricaded himself inside the presidential residence during an earlier arrest attempt.
Follow us on:
