S. Korean court issues warrant to arrest President Yoon

SEOUL -- A South Korean court issued a warrant to arrest the impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol and search the presidential residence, the joint investigation unit said Tuesday.

The investigation unit, consisting of Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), National Office of Investigation (NOI) and the defense ministry's investigation headquarters, said in a short notice that the issuance of arrest and search warrants against Yoon was confirmed earlier in the morning.

The unit added that no schedule was set for the execution of the warrants, which in normal cases are valid for one week from the date of issuance.

It marked the first time in the country's modern history that an arrest warrant was issued against a sitting president.

The joint investigation unit requested the warrants against Yoon to the Seoul Western District Court on insurrection and other charges the previous day.

The unit asked Yoon to appear for questioning three times on Dec. 18, Dec. 25 and Dec. 29, but the impeached leader refused to receive summonses and submit documents for the appointment of his defense counsel.

Yoon's side submitted written opinion and appointed defense counsel to the Seoul Court just hours after the request for issuance of the warrants.

Yoon was named by investigative agencies as a suspected ringleader on insurrection charge.

Yoon said in a televised address on Dec. 12 that he will not avoid his legal and political responsibility for the martial law that was declared by Yoon on the night of Dec. 3 but was revoked by the National Assembly hours later.

The impeachment motion against Yoon was passed in the National Assembly on Dec. 14 and was delivered to the constitutional court to deliberate it for up to 180 days, during which Yoon's power is suspended.