On December 31, 2024, in Seoul, South Korea, the authorities announced that the Seoul Western District Court has approved an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk-yul, marking the first time in Korean constitutional history that a judicial institution has issued an arrest warrant for a sitting president.
At the same time, the court also issued a search warrant for Yoon Suk-yul. As a result, it is expected that the High-Ranking Officials Crime Investigations Division (Public Investigation Department) will soon conduct a search at the presidential residence.
Typically, arrest warrants in South Korea are valid for one week. Currently, it is unclear when or how the law enforcement authorities will execute the arrest warrant.
On Tuesday, the Presidential Security Service released a statement indicating that they will handle the arrest warrant in accordance with the appropriate procedures.
Prior to this, the Public Investigation Department had summoned Yoon Suk-yul three times on suspicion of inciting insurrection and abusing power, requesting his cooperation in the investigation, but Yoon Suk-yul did not respond.
Yesterday, the Public Investigation Department requested the court to issue an arrest warrant for Yoon Suk-yul.
On December 3, Yoon Suk-yul decided to impose martial law and was impeached by the parliament on December 14, leading to a suspension of duties. The South Korean Constitutional Court has initiated proceedings to determine whether to remove Yoon Suk-yul from office or reinstate him.
Starting from December 14, the Constitutional Court has 180 days to make a ruling.
Previously, the police attempted to conduct a raid on the presidential office, but the Presidential Security Service cited military security concerns to prevent the police from entering.
Yoon Suk-yul is facing a criminal investigation and may be charged with incitement to insurrection. Although Yoon Suk-yul holds immunity from criminal prosecution as president, this privilege does not apply to charges of insurrection or treason.