SEOUL: A South Korean court has issued an arrest warrant for ousted President Yoon Seok-yul, investigators said Tuesday, prompting hundreds of supporters to gather at the gates of his private residence.
Investigators investigating Yoon’s Dec. 3 declaration of martial law requested a warrant after he failed to report for questioning a third time.
A crowd gathered outside his home on Tuesday carrying placards and South Korean flags and chanting: “Martial law is illegal! Impeachment is wrong!”
“Arrest warrants and search warrants were issued this morning,” the Joint Investigation Headquarters, which is handling Yun’s investigation, said in a statement.
Yoon’s legal team called the arrest order “illegal and invalid” and filed an injunction to annul it.
This is the first time in the country’s history that an arrest warrant has been issued for a sitting president.
“I came out here because I was shocked and scared that they are trying to arrest the president,” said Song Mija, a pro-Yeon protester.
“Martial law was not a coup, what they are trying to do now is one,” he told AFP. Police were sent to the area in large numbers and could be seen yelling at protesters to stay in line, but the way in and out of Yoon’s residence was clear.
Yun has been removed from his presidential duties by parliament and faces criminal charges of sedition, which could result in life imprisonment or the death penalty.