A South Korean court on Tuesday issued warrants for the detention of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol and authorized searches of his office and residence.
The warrants stem from an investigation into whether Yoon’s brief declaration of martial law amounted to rebellion, an offense that could result in life imprisonment or the death penalty under South Korean law.
Despite the warrants, experts believe actual detention or searches are unlikely unless Yoon is formally removed from office.
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, leading the probe in coordination with police and military authorities, announced the Seoul Western District Court’s decision to approve the warrants.
However, Yoon’s immunity as president protects him from most criminal prosecutions, except for rebellion or treason.
Yoon’s impeachment by the opposition-dominated National Assembly on December 14 suspended his presidential powers.
The controversial martial law decree, which mobilized troops and police in Seoul, triggered significant political upheaval and disrupted high-level diplomacy and financial markets.
Yoon has defended his actions as legitimate governance, accusing the Democratic Party of being “anti-state forces” and using its majority to undermine his administration.
The Constitutional Court will decide whether Yoon will remain in office or be permanently removed.
Until then, Yoon is expected to resist the warrants, having previously ignored requests to appear for questioning.
His security detail has also blocked past attempts to search his office and residence, citing laws that protect locations containing state secrets.
A lawyer for Yoon dismissed the anti-corruption agency’s request for the warrants, arguing the agency lacks jurisdiction over rebellion cases.
Meanwhile, the agency has no immediate plans to enforce the warrants.
Diirector of the Seoul-based Institute of Presidential Leadership, Choi Jin, noted the improbability of detaining Yoon without his cooperation, adding, “Should investigators have hand-to-hand fights with the security service?”
Despite these challenges, investigators may still visit Yoon’s residence as a symbolic gesture of diligence.
Political consultant Park Sung-min suggested the warrants might aim to pressure Yoon into cooperating.
This echoes the case of former President Park Geun-hye, impeached in 2017 over a corruption scandal. She refused to meet with prosecutors but was questioned and arrested after her removal from office.
Yoon’s six-hour martial law declaration, which lawmakers unanimously overturned, has already led to the arrests of his defense minister, police chief, and several military commanders.
Testimony from commanders, including Kwak Jong-keun of the Army Special Warfare Command, has contradicted Yoon’s claims that the troops were only meant to maintain order.
According to Kwak, Yoon instructed soldiers to “quickly knock down the door and drag out the lawmakers who are inside,” an order Kwak refused to execute.
The political crisis deepened further when acting President Han Duck-soo was also impeached over his refusal to appoint three Constitutional Court justices, a move that could impact the court’s ruling on Yoon.
The deputy prime minister and finance minister, Choi Sang-mok, has since assumed leadership as the interim head of government.
