Arrest warrant issued for impeached South Korean president as political crisis deepens

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Expert says South Korean presidents failed martial law declaration attempt a ‘blunder, to ‘reassert himself’

South Korea’s opposition parties moved Wednesday to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol.

A South Korean court approved arrest warrants on Tuesday to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol and search his office and residence amid a criminal investigation into his martial law decree earlier this month.

The move marks the first time a sitting president of the country has faced arrest and follows weeks of intense political turmoil in South Korea, Asia’s fourth-largest economy and a key U.S. ally. The country is also dealing with the deadly Jeju Air plane crash that killed 179 people on Sunday. 

The Seoul Western District Court issued warrants to detain Yoon and to search the presidential office and residence in central Seoul, according to a statement from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, which is leading a joint investigation with police and military authorities.

A South Korean court approved arrest warrants on Tuesday to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

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The agency says it’s been investigating whether Yoon’s Dec. 3 declaration amounted to rebellion, and he has been suspended from office.

Under South Korean law, the leader of a rebellion can face the death penalty or life imprisonment if convicted. 

It is unclear when authorities will proceed with the warrants, with the president’s lawyer labeling the warrants “invalid” and “illegal.” His whereabouts are not publicly known, and he has been banned from leaving the country.

Yoon has presidential immunity from most criminal prosecutions, but the privilege does not extend to allegations of rebellion or treason.

By law, a president in South Korea is allowed to declare martial law only during wartime or similar emergencies and has no right to suspend parliament’s operations even under martial law.

Yoon abruptly imposed martial law and pledged to eliminate “anti-state” forces after he struggled to move his agenda through the opposition-dominated parliament. The martial law, however, was only in effect for about six hours since the National Assembly voted to overrule the president’s decision.

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The country is also dealing with the deadly Jeju Air plane crash that killed 179 people on Sunday.  (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Lawmakers then submitted a motion to impeach the president over his martial law declaration, with the leader of the People Power Party, Han Dong-hun, criticizing the martial law declaration as “unconstitutional.”

After declaring martial law, Yoon sent hundreds of troops and police officers to the parliament to try to impede its vote on the decree before they withdrew after the parliament rejected it. No major violence occurred but public protests swelled in both opposition and in support of Yoon.

The National Assembly voted to impeach him on Dec. 14, during which hundreds of troops and police officers were deployed at the assembly.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who took over from Yoon as acting president, has also been impeached by parliament after he failed to fill three justice seats at the nine-member constitutional court. Yoon can only be removed from office if his impeachment is upheld by the court.

Experts say that adding more justices could increase the chances of Yoon’s impeachment as that requires support from at least six justices. The next hearing in Yoon’s Constitutional Court case is scheduled for Friday.

South Korea’s acting President Choi Sang-mok places a flower for the victims on a plane which skidded off a runway and burst into flames, at a memorial altar at Muan sport park in Muan, South Korea, on Dec. 30, 2024.  (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

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Kim Yong-hyun, who resigned as Yoon’s defense minister after playing a major role in the martial law decree, has been detained and was indicted on Friday on charges of insurrection and abuse of power.

New acting President Choi Sang-mok on Monday presided over a task force meeting investigating the Jeju Air disaster. The Boeing 737-800 plane landed without its front landing gear deployed, overshot the runway, slammed into a concrete fence and burst into a fireball. 

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. 

Michael Dorgan is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.

You can send tips to michael.dorgan@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @M_Dorgan.