Anti-corruption investigators have requested a revised arrest warrant for impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, whose contentious attempt to impose martial emergency last month sparked a national uproar and marked a dramatic escalation of South Korea’s protracted political crisis.
Late on Monday, the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) disclosed that it had resubmitted a plea to the Seoul Western District Court to prolong the expired detention warrant for Yoon.
From his well guarded home, the former president, who is being investigated for alleged insurrection, continues to elude capture.
In a statement, the CIO stated, “Today, the Joint Investigation Headquarters refiled a warrant to extend the arrest warrant for defendant Yoon.”
However, they refused to elaborate on how long the warrant would remain valid after the original seven-day period had passed.
Yoon would be the first sitting president in South Korean history to be detained if the proposal is adopted.
Yoon, a former high-profile prosecutor, has declined to be questioned three times.
His attorneys have repeatedly ruled that the original warrant was “illegal,” claiming that the CIO’s jurisdictional powers do not specifically include the ability to look into insurrectionary allegations.
Experts say there is a good chance the new warrant will be granted despite the legal obstacles.
“The court is unlikely to reject the extension, though it may take some time for the warrant to be reissued,” said Yun Bok-Nam, president of Lawyers for a Democratic Society.
Yoon might be subject to harsh punishments, such as life in jail or perhaps the death penalty, if found guilty.
The trial for Yoon’s impeachment has been set to begin on January 14 by the Constitutional Court. Yoon may come, according to local media, but according to his legal team, his participation is still up in the air.
The court has 180 days to decide whether to reinstate his presidential authority or sustain his impeachment.
Following last week’s six-hour standoff, during which investigators were obstructed by a heavy security presence, tensions surrounding Yoon’s home have momentarily subsided.
As the country awaits the court’s ruling, the streets outside the impeached leader’s residence were noticeably calmer on Tuesday, despite the fact that demonstrators are still there to support him.
After the impeachment trials of former presidents Roh Moo-hyun in 2004 and Park Geun-hye in 2016–2017, Yoon’s trial is the third such case in South Korea’s recent history.
Despite criticism for its inexperience and lack of resources, the CIO, a relatively new investigative organization, is under unprecedented pressure to handle the case.
The outcome of the arrest warrant and the impeachment trial will probably determine South Korea’s course in the upcoming months as the country prepares for more political unrest.