The Seoul Western District Court on Tuesday issued an arrest warrant for impeaching President Yun Seok-Yeol for her failed attempt to impose martial law in early December.
This is the first time a South Korean court has issued an arrest warrant for a sitting president.
Although Mr. Yun is still de facto president, impeached Two weeks ago his powers were transferred to the acting president. The first acting president, Han Deok-soo, was himself. impeached Opposition lawmakers said they were moving too slowly to complete the process of removing Yun from office, so he announced his resignation last Friday.
Until he is formally removed from office, Mr. Yun enjoys immunity from arrest and prosecution, except for sedition charges. Joint investigation team investigating Yoon case requested A warrant was issued for just that reason after Mr. Yoon ignored three attempts to subpoena him for questioning.
Yun's lawyer immediately asked the Seoul Western District Court to cancel the warrant, saying the Office of Corruption Investigation (CIO) “does not have the authority to investigate the riot.” The CIO is also investigating Mr. Yoon for abuse of power, but this is easier to do within its legal authority.
The court approved Yoon's arrest and also issued Search warrant for the presidential palace in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. The CIO said it planned to execute both warrants before they expire on Monday, but the president's security personnel thwarted the last time police tried to raid his office.
The South Korean Presidential Security Agency has the power to block searches of locations that could endanger state secrets. The agency said Tuesday it would take appropriate “safety measures” in response to the new warrant, but did not say whether it would lead to Mr. Yun's arrest or a search of his residence.
Under South Korean law, a warrant must be served directly by a law enforcement officer, so it would theoretically be possible for Yoon to avoid arrest by simply hunkering down in his home or another location protected by the Presidential Security Office.
of Korea Herald on tuesday I remembered How in 2004, former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, Han Fagab, barricaded himself in the party headquarters while 200 of his fellow members blocked the entrance with their bodies to avoid detention on corruption charges.
CIO Chief Prosecutor Oh Dong-woong has indicated that he may file obstruction of justice charges if Presidential Security Service agents obstruct the execution of further court warrants, raising the possibility of conflict between authorities. There is. Quyen Song-don, a lawmaker from Yun's People's Power Party (PPP), said it was “inappropriate” for the court to impose such a dispute on an unstable country.
“Instead of resorting to extraordinary measures such as issuing an arrest warrant to detain the president, it would be more appropriate to further adjust the opinion and summon the sitting president,” Kwon said on Tuesday.
Democratic Progressive Party floor leader Park Chan-dae retorted that Yoon's party and protection groups should “stop protecting the leader of the riot” and “actively cooperate in resolving the national emergency.”
Yun's lawyers strongly disputed claims that his efforts to impose martial law amounted to “insurrection.” Lawyer Yoon Gap-geun said Reporters said Tuesday that the president “has no intention of circumventing or delaying” the legal process if it is done properly.
Yoon's lawyer said, “No matter who the investigating agency is, if they follow legal procedures, they will deal with it fairly and lawfully.''
The president's legal team further argued that he should be immune from criminal proceedings until his impeachment is upheld by South Korea's Constitutional Court.
This is the setting for a complicated martial law drama that impeaches Han Deok-soo a week after he succeeds Yoon. Because the court currently lacks three justices, one of the remaining six justices could potentially block impeachment. Judgment against it. The Democratic Progressive Party accused Han of delaying the appointment of three judges nominated by the legislature and intentionally making it difficult to secure the six votes needed to remove Yun from office in the Constitutional Court.
Choi Sang-mok, Han's successor as acting president, broke the deadlock on Tuesday. appoint Two of the three candidates for the Constitutional Court nominated by Parliament. One of them was nominated by the Democratic Progressive Party and the other by the PPP.
Choi said that if the Democratic Progressive Party agrees to support him, he will appoint Ma Eun-hyuk, the third candidate recommended by the Democratic Progressive Party. mama-san confirmation hearing The impeachment on December 23 was boycotted by PPP lawmakers, who expressed skepticism about the basis for impeaching Yun during the hearing.
