A South Korean court approved an arrest warrant for impeached President Yoon Suk-Yeol on Tuesday morning local time, Yonhap News Agency first reported.
The warrant related to Yoon’s brief martial law declaration this month that sparked widespread protests and shocked allies would mark the first time one has been issued for an incumbent president in South Korea, per local media.
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials confirmed in a media statement that Seoul Western District Court had approved the warrant.
Yoon was impeached and suspended from presidential duties for his actions earlier this month that sparked mass protests and stunned global allies, but he maintains he acted out of concerns about “pro-North Korean” elements when he made the emergency declaration.
South Korean police announced earlier this month they were investigating Yoon for possible insurrection and he has through his lawyers denied the allegations.
Yoon could face life in prison or the death penalty if he were charged and convicted of such offenses because presidential immunity doesn’t extend to insurrection or treason in South Korea.
