South Korean court issues arrest warrant for embattled President Yoon Suk Yeol

Seoul (CNN) — A South Korean court on Tuesday approved an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol, the embattled leader who plunged the country into political chaos by his shock decision to declare martial law nearly a month ago.

It is the first time a sitting South Korean president has faced an arrest warrant and the dramatic new showdown between investigators and the president came the same day extraordinary new details emerged of the night Yoon tried to shutter parliament.

Yoon was stripped of his presidential powers after South Korea’s parliament voted to impeach him earlier this month after some members of his own ruling party turned on him following his refusal to resign over the December 3 decree.

South Korea’s anti-corruption agency said the Seoul Western District Court granted the warrant Tuesday for Yoon on charges of abuse of authority and orchestrating a rebellion.

The detention order was issued after Yoon, a former prosecutor, had refused to answer three summonses by investigators in recent weeks asking for his cooperation, according to the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO).

The warrant would allow investigators to hold Yoon for up to 48 hours for questioning. The CIO would need to apply for a secondary warrant within that period to detain him further.

Yoon is wanted for questioning in multiple investigations, including accusations of leading an insurrection – a crime punishable by life imprisonment or even the death penalty.

On Monday, South Korean law enforcement officials requested the warrant.

The president’s lawyer, Yoon Kab-keun, called the issuance of an arrest warrant “illegal and invalid,” while speaking to reporters Tuesday.

“It’s a warrant request from an agency that’s clearly not authorized by law, and the warrant request process was not transparent,” Yoon said, referring to the request made by the CIO.

An arrest warrant must usually be executed within seven days, but can be extended, according to the CIO.

Previously, law enforcement officers tried but failed to successfully raid the presidential office as part of the investigation due to blocks by the president’s security team, despite having a search warrant.

The presidential security team said Tuesday that “security measures will be taken in accordance with due process.”

‘Shoot the doors’

As investigators dig further into the president’s actions the night he declared martial law, new allegations are emerging about what exactly happened during those six hours before the motion was rescinded.

As CNN has reported, Yoon ordered troops to South Korea’s parliament as lawmakers scrambled to block the martial law order with a parliamentary vote. As soldiers attempted to enter the main hall of the National Assembly, lawmakers erected barricades using chairs and other furniture to stop them from entering.

In a 10-page summary from the former defense minister’s prosecution indictment report on Friday, Yoon had allegedly instructed the military to use firearms to break the doors, if necessary, to remove lawmakers gathering inside the main chamber.

“Haven’t you entered yet? What’s taking so long? Break down the doors and drag them out!” Yoon allegedly said, according to prosecution summary.

“Shoot the doors to break in and remove them,” the document quoted the president saying.

In the early hours of December 4, lawmakers swiftly voted to block the decree, with 190 of the 300 members of parliament voting to overturn the measure – after which the soldiers withdrew.

But, according to the prosecution, the president vowed to declare martial law three times if necessary.

The former defense minister Kim Yong-hyun allegedly ordered his commander to prioritize apprehending key figures, such as main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, National Assembly Chairman Woo Won-shik, and ruling People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon, just before the martial law was shot down.

The former defense minister, who was arrested earlier this month, has been indicted for abuse of power and serving as a key figure in the insurrection operation, the statement said.

Confiscated items – including cable ties, three baseball bats, screwdrivers, hammers, ropes, and blindfolds – also were presented as evidence that soldiers were ordered to detain members of the National Election Commission, according to prosecution.

The initial martial law announcement sent shockwaves through the country. Residents in Seoul rushed to be with family members as others gathered outside the parliamentary building, according to CNN teams on the ground.

When the president backtracked on his efforts in the early hour, many were left wondering what was going to happen next, and what it meant for the country’s democracy which emerged from a brutal martial law period in the 1980s.

Road to impeachment

Yoon has largely stayed away from public light in recent weeks as he also faces a Constitutional Court trial on whether he will be formally removed from the presidency or reinstated in office – a process that could take up to six months.

The court held its first pretrial hearing on December 27, which Yoon was not in attendance for. His presence is not mandatory.

The court has vowed to take the case as a “top priority” along with other impeachment cases the opposition has pushed for against Yoon’s administration, including the justice minister, prosecutors and other senior officials.

The nine-member court currently only has six justices, due to a delay in filling vacancies left by retired justices, further complicating matters. However, on Tuesday acting president Choi Sang-mok said he will appoint two justices immediately, and appoint a third justice when ruling and opposition parties agree.

A second pretrial hearing for Yoon is scheduled for Friday. Yoon has been banned from leaving the country and top officials from his government have also been arrested and indicted on allegations of insurrection.

The country was further plunged into political uncertainty last Friday when South Korea’s parliament voted to also impeach prime minster and acting president Han Duck-soo, who had assumed the presidential duties after Yoon, over his refusal to start the process of filling the three vacant seats in the Constitutional Court.

Han defended his choice, urging the ruling and opposition parties to first reach an agreement before appointments can be made.

Only two days into his presidential duties, Choi is tasked with not only a political crisis but also leading a country in mourning after one of the deadliest aviation disasters in nearly 30 years.

All but two people on the Jeju Air flight 7C 2216, which was carrying 175 passengers and six crew from Bangkok to Muan county, died after it crash-landed at an airport on Sunday.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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