♍South Korean law enforcement officials have sought a court warrant to arrest impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol as they probe whether his brief martial law order earlier this month constituted rebellion.
✤The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, leading a joint investigation with police and military authorities into the power grab that lasted just a few hours, confirmed it had filed the warrant request on Monday. Investigators intend to question Yoon on allegations of abuse of power and inciting rebellion.
♑Yoon has dodged several requests by the joint investigation team and public prosecutors to appear for questioning and has also blocked searches of his offices.
🧜It’s not clear whether the court will grant the warrant or whether Yoon can be compelled to appear for questioning.
🌳Under the country’s laws, locations potentially linked to military secrets cannot be seized or searched without the consent of the person in charge, and it’s unlikely that Yoon will voluntarily leave his residence if he faces detainment.
꧟This comes after South Korea's main opposition party on December 26 submitted a motion to impeach the country's acting leader over his reluctance to fill three Constitutional Court vacancies ahead of the court's review of rebellion charges against impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol stemming from his short-lived martial law decree on Dec. 3.
𓂃The court appointments have stalled amid an intensifying dispute between the liberal opposition and Yoon's conservative party, and the potential impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo may deepen the political paralysis that has halted high-level diplomacy and rattled financial markets.
With inputs from AP.
