A South Korean court on Tuesday approved an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol, who has been impeached and suspended from power over his decision to impose martial law on Dec. 3, investigating authorities said.
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO) confirmed that the Seoul Western District Court granted the order sought by investigators looking into Yoon’s short-term imposition of martial law.
This is the first arrest warrant issued for a sitting president in South Korea, according to local media.
The CIO did not comment on the court’s reasoning for issuing the arrest warrant. The court declined to comment.
It was unclear when and how the arrest warrant for Yoon would be implemented. South Korea’s Presidential Security Service said in a statement on Tuesday that it will handle the arrest warrant according to due process.
The court also granted a search warrant for Yoon’s residence, the CIO said.
Earlier, the police tried but failed to successfully raid the presidential office as part of the investigation, due to the blocking of the entrance by the presidential security service.
Yoon is facing a criminal investigation on possible sedition charges. Sedition is one of the few charges for which a South Korean president is not immune.
Acting leader of South Korea’s ruling People’s Party, Kweon Seong-dong, said Tuesday that trying to arrest a sitting president is inappropriate, according to Yonhap news agency.
