Court issues arrest warrant for South Korean President, Yoon Suk Yeol

A South Korean court has issued an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Recall that President Yoon was recently impeached and suspended from power over his decision to impose martial law on 3 December.

Operatives investigating Yeol sought an arrest warrant for the ousted president after he failed to report for questioning.

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, CIO, said that a Seoul court has approved the warrant requested by investigators examining Yoon’s short-lived imposition of martial law.

“The arrest warrant and search warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol, requested by the Joint Investigation Headquarters, were issued this morning,” the Joint Investigation Headquarters said in a statement.

However, a lawyer for Yoon, Yoon Kab-keun said the move was “illegal and invalid”.

The arrest warrant and search and seizure warrant issued at the request of an agency without investigative authority are illegal and invalid,” the lawyer said in a statement, according to the Guardian UK.

South Korean law enforcement officials sought the warrant to question Yoon over allegations of abuse of authority and orchestrating a rebellion.

Meanwhile, this is the first arrest warrant issued for an incumbent president in South Korea, according to local media.