A warrant has been issued to detain South Korea’s impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol for questioning over his shortlived attempt to impose martial law earlier this month.
The country’s anti-corruption agency said on Tuesday that a Seoul court granted the arrest warrant sought by prosecutors investigating Mr Yoon over the martial law declaration.
The warrant came after the president ignored multiple summons for questioning over charges of insurrection and abuse of power.
Mr Yoon’s lawyers called the warrant and the charges “unlawful”.
Yoon Kab Keun, one of the lawyers, said the president had “no reason to avoid the investigation” but his conduct should be judged by the constitutional court and not through criminal proceedings.
He said Mr Yoon would be present personally at constitutional court hearings.
The constitutional court is preparing to rule on the validity of Mr Yoon’s impeachment by the National Assembly. If it clears the parliamentary decision, Mr Yoon will be removed from office.
The latest development deepens South Korea’s political crisis which started on 3 December when the president declared martial law, sparking widespread protests and the impeachment of Mr Yoon as well as his acting successor Han Duck Soo.
The warrant, valid until 6 January, could see Mr Yoon detained at the Seoul Detention Center if executed, the state news agency Yonhap reported.
Mr Yoon is South Korea’s first sitting president to face arrest.
The leader of a rebellion can face the death penalty or life imprisonment if convicted under South Korean law. Mr Yoon has presidential immunity from most criminal prosecution, but the privilege doesn’t extend to allegations of rebellion or treason.
However, experts suggest the warrant is unlikely to be executed.
“Unless Yoon voluntarily lets them detain him, there is no way to detain him,” Choi Jin, director of the Institute of Presidential Leadership in Seoul, told the Associated Press news agency. “Should investigators have hand-to-hand fights with the security service?”
Mr Yoon is likely to ignore the warrant. But investigators could visit his residence to show they are strictly and fairly carrying out their work.
The presidential security service, which previously blocked a police raid on Mr Yoon’s office, said in a statement it will follow due process in handling the warrant.
