Seoul: A hearing to determine whether an arrest warrant will be issued for former President Yoon Suk Yeol concerning his martial law efforts is set for later this week, as announced by a court on Monday. The Seoul Central District Court has arranged the hearing for 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday, following special counsel Cho Eun-suk's request for the warrant the day before.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Yoon intends to personally attend the hearing to present his case before the court makes a decision on the warrant, which is expected either later that day or early the following day. Special counsel Cho's team seeks Yoon's arrest on charges linked to his December martial law initiative, including an alleged order to the Presidential Security Service to prevent his detention by investigators in January.
Yoon is also accused of violating the rights of Cabinet members by selectively calling them to a meeting held before his declaration of martial law on December 3. Furthermore, he allegedly instructed his aides to draft a second document to rectify legal shortcomings in the original declaration days after the initial event.
Should the court approve the warrant, it would mark the second time the former president is taken into custody, with the first instance occurring in January while he was still in office. Yoon had also attended the arrest warrant hearing during that period.
The special counsel team, which has questioned Yoon twice, requested the arrest warrant on Sunday, highlighting the gravity of his alleged offenses and concerns about potential evidence destruction and flight risk, as per a warrant copy obtained by Yonhap News Agency. Additionally, the team is investigating claims that Yoon ordered the military to dispatch drones to Pyongyang last October to provoke North Korea and justify the imposition of martial law.