South Korean Court Reissues Arrest Warrant for Former President Yoon Suk Yeol.
A South Korean court on Thursday issued a renewed arrest warrant for former President Yoon Suk Yeol, allowing prosecutors to compel him to appear for questioning after he repeatedly ignored summons.
The special counsel investigating Yoon and his wife, former First Lady Kim Keon Hee, confirmed in a statement: “An arrest warrant has been issued today for former President Yoon Suk Yeol.”
Yoon has been at the center of a deepening political crisis since December 3, when he attempted to subvert democratic rule by deploying troops to parliament to block lawmakers from voting down his declaration of martial law. He became the first sitting South Korean president to be taken into custody when he was detained in January after weeks of resisting arrest. At the time, he relied on his presidential security team to obstruct investigators.
Although released on procedural grounds in March while standing trial for insurrection, Yoon was detained again in early July amid concerns he might tamper with evidence. Prosecutors investigating separate allegations of election tampering had summoned Yoon for questioning, but he failed to comply, citing health reasons through his legal team.
On Wednesday, the prosecution filed a new request for his detention, which has now been granted. Authorities are now permitted to enter his current detention facility to enforce the summons and question him.
Meanwhile, legal scrutiny is growing in unrelated matters. Prosecutors are probing claims that a shaman, Jeon Seong-bae, received lavish gifts — including a diamond necklace and a luxury handbag — from a senior official of the Unification Church, which were allegedly passed on to Yoon’s wife, Kim Keon Hee.
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