Law enforcement officials in Seoul, South Korea have requested a court warrant to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol. This request comes as they investigate whether his short-lived martial law decree on Dec. 3 amounted to rebellion. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials is leading a joint investigation with police and military authorities. They have confirmed the request for the warrant from the Seoul Western District Court to question Yoon on charges of abuse of authority and orchestrating a rebellion.
Yoon had avoided several requests for questioning from the joint investigation team and public prosecutors, as well as blocking searches of his offices. Although he has presidential immunity from criminal prosecution, this does not cover allegations of rebellion or treason. It remains uncertain whether the court will grant the warrant or if Yoon can be compelled to appear for questioning.
Under the country’s laws, locations potentially tied to military secrets cannot be seized or searched without the consent of the person in charge. It is unlikely that Yoon will voluntarily leave his residence if faced with detention. Concerns also exist about potential clashes with Yoon’s presidential security service if authorities attempt to detain him forcibly.
Yoon’s presidential powers were suspended after the National Assembly impeached him on Dec. 14 for imposing martial law. The fate of Yoon now rests with the Constitutional Court, which is deliberating on whether to uphold the impeachment and remove Yoon from office or reinstate him. Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok is the country’s new interim leader after the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.
In a separate criminal investigation, Yoon’s defense minister, police chief, and other military commanders involved in enforcing the martial law decree have already been arrested. Yoon and his military leadership are accused of trying to prevent the National Assembly from voting to lift martial law by surrounding the building with heavily armed troops. Lawmakers were eventually able to convene and unanimously voted to end martial law.
In the ongoing political turmoil within the Conservative Party, Han Dong-hun, a reformist figure, has emerged as a key player advocating for investigations into corruption allegations involving first lady Kim Keon Hee. On the other hand, Yoon, a prominent member of the party, has staunchly defended the recent declaration of martial law, presenting it as a necessary measure to maintain governance stability. He has characterized this move as a temporary cautionary measure aimed at curbing what he perceives as the disruptive influence of the liberal opposition Democratic Party, which he labels as an “anti-state” entity impeding his policy agenda due to their majority in the National Assembly. Yoon has refuted any claims suggesting that his actions were intended to hinder the assembly’s operations, asserting that the deployment of troops was solely to ensure order and security, while vehemently denying any plans to detain politicians.
Contradicting Yoon’s assertions, Kwak Jong-keun, the commander of the Army Special Warfare Command who has since been apprehended, testified before the National Assembly that Yoon had instructed troops to forcibly enter the assembly’s main chamber during the pivotal vote and physically remove lawmakers present. Kwak made it clear that he did not carry out Yoon’s alleged directives. Additionally, the joint investigation team has interrogated Maj. Gen. Moon Sang-ho, the leader of the Defense Intelligence Command, who is also under arrest on suspicion of dispatching troops to the National Election Commission in Gwacheon city following Yoon’s declaration of martial law.
Yoon has stood by the decision to deploy troops to the election commission concurrently with the military operation at the National Assembly, justifying it as a necessary precaution to probe potential vulnerabilities in the commission’s computer systems that could impact the credibility of election outcomes. However, Yoon’s failure to provide substantiated evidence to support his assertions has sparked apprehension that he may be endorsing unfounded conspiracy theories propagated on right-wing YouTube channels, alleging that the parliamentary elections in April were manipulated. Notably, the Democratic Party emerged victorious in a decisive manner during those elections. The election commission swiftly dismissed Yoon’s claims, asserting that there is no factual basis to suspect any instances of election fraud.
