A South Korean court has approved the arrest of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol in connection with an investigation into the imposition of martial law.
Reports mark this as the first time in South Korea’s history that a sitting president faces arrest. The Seoul Western District Court granted the arrest warrant requested by investigators leading the case.
Yoon, currently suspended from office, is under investigation for allegedly orchestrating an insurrection, one of the few criminal charges for which a South Korean president does not enjoy immunity. Credible news sources indicate that his impeachment trial is also ongoing at the Constitutional Court.
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who took over from Yoon as acting president, has also been impeached by parliament, which is dominated by the opposition. Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, now serving as acting president following Han’s impeachment, is concurrently managing the aftermath of Sunday’s crash of Jeju Air flight 7C2216, which killed 179 people in the deadliest air disaster on South Korean soil.
The arrest warrant for Yoon is viable until January 6 and allows investigators only 48 hours to detain him after his arrest. Within this period, they must decide whether to request a formal detention warrant or release him.
The approval of an arrest warrant for an incumbent president labelled as ‘unprecedented’, plunging South Korea deeper into political turmoil and is expected to have a toll on its relationship with partnered economies and states like the United States.
