[A South Korean court has approved an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol, making him the first sitting president in the country’s history to face such a warrant. The warrant was issued on charges of abuse of authority and orchestrating a rebellion, following Yoon’s refusal to answer three summonses by investigators.
Yoon’s presidential powers were stripped from him earlier this month after the parliament voted to impeach him, with some members of his own ruling party turning against him. He is now facing multiple investigations, including accusations of leading an insurrection, which is punishable by life imprisonment or even the death penalty.
The president’s lawyer has called the issuance of the arrest warrant “illegal and invalid,” while speaking to reporters. An arrest warrant must usually be executed within seven days, but can be extended.
Yoon has largely stayed away from public light in recent weeks as he also faces a Constitutional Court trial on whether he will be formally removed from the presidency or reinstated in office. The court has vowed to take the case as a “top priority” along with other impeachment cases against Yoon’s administration.
Under South Korean law, at least six out of nine justices must approve an impeachment for it to be upheld. The court has not yet decided whether the six sitting justices alone can rule on Yoon’s fate.
In the meantime, the country is facing political uncertainty, with top officials from Yoon’s government arrested and indicted on allegations of insurrection. The prime minister and acting president, Han Duck-soo, was also impeached last week over his refusal to start the process of filling the three vacant seats in the Constitutional Court.
The country is also in mourning after one of the deadliest aviation disasters in nearly 30 years, with all but two people on a flight from Bangkok to Muan county dying in a crash-landing at an airport on Sunday.
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