A joint investigation team demanded on Monday that an arrest warrant be issued against President Yoon Suk Yeol for imposing martial law. This makes Yoon the first president in South Korean history to face arrest.
The team announced that they requested an arrest warrant on charges of insurrection and abuse of office after Yoon failed to appear despite being summoned three times for questioning.
According to the team, consisting of the Corruption Investigation Office for Senior Officials (CIO), police, and the defense ministry’s investigation unit, the request was submitted to the Seoul Western District Court at midnight on Sunday.
Investigators allege that Yoon led an uprising and abused his powers by declaring martial law on 3 December and ordering troops to the National Assembly to prevent lawmakers from voting on the decree.
Yoon denied the accusations, stating that the declaration of martial law was a “management action” to warn the opposition party against its abuse of legislative power.
Later in the day, Yoon’s legal defense team submitted an opinion to the court, arguing that the request for an arrest warrant should be rejected because the CIO is not authorized to investigate the sedition charges.
Yun Gap-geun, one of Yoon’s legal representatives, stated that it was legally incorrect to argue that because the CIO can investigate misconduct charges, it can also investigate sedition charges.
Yun, together with lawyer Kim Hong-il, submitted a notice of appointment of a lawyer to the court.
