South Korea investigators request arrest warrant for impeached president Yoon

NEWS WIRES

29 December 2024 at 9:50 pm·1-min read

South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol bows while delivering an address at the Presidential Office in Seoul, December 12, 2024.

South Korean law enforcement officials on Monday requested a court warrant to detain impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol as they investigate whether his short-lived martial law decree on December 3 amounted to rebellion.

Investigators probing South Korea's Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived declaration of martial law said Monday they had sought an arrest warrant for the suspended president after he failed to report for questioning.

Yoon briefly suspended civilian rule this month, plunging South Korea into its worst political crisis in decades.

He was stripped of presidential duties by parliament over the action, but a constitutional court ruling is pending on whether to confirm the impeachment.

The conservative leader also faces criminal charges of insurrection, which could result in life imprisonment or even the death penalty.

Yoon has been summoned three times by investigators for questioning, but repeatedly refused to present himself – including by Sunday's deadline.

"The Joint Investigation Headquarters filed an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol with the Seoul Western District Court", said the probe team in a statement.

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