SEOUL: The anti-corruption body chief said that South Korean impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol will be arrested before the expiration of the warrant issued against him over his short-lived martial law.
The country’s chief anticorruption investigator Oh Dong-woon told reporters on Wednesday that the arrest warrant against Yoon would be executed “within the valid period”, the last day of which is Monday.
A South Korean court on Tuesday issued an unprecedented arrest warrant against President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached on Dec. 14 over his attempt to impose martial law in the East Asian country.
The country’s Joint Investigation Headquarters had sought a warrant for his arrest, which a Seoul court granted yesterday.
“We aim for a smooth process without major disturbances, but we are also coordinating to mobilise police and personnel in preparation,” Oh told reporters at the government complex in Gwacheon, south of Seoul.
Oh said that anyone attempting to block Yoon’s arrest could be dealt with according to law.
“We consider actions such as setting up various barricades and locking iron gates to resist the execution of our arrest warrant as obstruction of official duties,” he said.
If arrested, President Yoon Suk-yeol would become the first sitting president taken into custody in the country’s history.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol faces charges of misuse of power. These charges carry penalties of life imprisonment or death.
The impeached president’s legal team says the warrant is illegal. They argue investigators cannot charge a sitting president with insurrection. The country’s National Assembly had impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol on December 14 in a 204-85 vote for attempting to impose martial law.
Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok became acting president on Friday after the legislature impeached Yoon’s successor, Han Duck-soo. Han refused to appoint three justices to the Constitutional Court.
The court is deciding whether to remove Yoon or reinstate him. This process could take six months. On Tuesday, Choi approved two of the three vacant judicial appointments, leaving one seat open.
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At least six of the nine justices must uphold the impeachment to remove Yoon from office.
Yoon defends his martial law decree as legal. He claims it was necessary to counter “anti-state forces” and opposition obstruction.
