Seoul: A Seoul court has issued an arrest warrant for former President Yoon Suk Yeol, placing him in custody for the second time in connection with his unsuccessful attempt to declare martial law. The warrant was issued by Nam Se-jin, a senior judge at the Seoul Central District Court, following a request from special counsel Cho Eun-suk, who cited concerns over potential evidence tampering by Yoon.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Cho's team filed for the warrant based on five major charges, including Yoon's alleged infringement on the rights of Cabinet members by convening only a select few to a meeting held shortly before his martial law declaration on December 3. During the hearing, Yoon and his legal team denied all charges before he was taken to the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, just south of the capital, to await the court's ruling.
Among the charges, Yoon is accused of fabricating a martial law declaration document after December 3 to legitimize his actions. This document was allegedly signed by then Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and then Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun before being discarded.
Other allegations include Yoon's instruction to the presidential spokesperson for foreign press to distribute false statements denying his intent to undermine the constitutional order through the martial law attempt. He is also accused of directing the Presidential Security Service to prevent his detention by investigators in early January and ordering the deletion of call records from secure phones used by three military commanders.
This arrest marks the second time Yoon has been detained. His first arrest occurred in January while he was still in office, but he was released in March after a court accepted his request to cancel the arrest.