South Korean authorities are officially developing a case against impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, following allegations that he hindered the enforcement of an arrest warrant, according to a police spokesperson on Friday.
On December 31, a South Korean court issued an arrest warrant for Yoon as part of a criminal investigation that accuses the suspended president of insurrection related to his martial law declaration from the previous year.
However, the execution of the warrant was delayed until January 15, as Yoon failed to comply and the Presidential Security Service obstructed investigators for several days.
Authorities have been looking into Yoon for alleged special obstruction of public duty since approximately January 3, as stated by a police spokesperson via text message.
Under South Korean law, this offense carries a potential prison sentence of up to five years.
Yoon has maintained that his brief announcement of martial law on December 3 did not amount to insurrection, which is one of the two charges that a sitting president cannot evade immunity from.
Additionally, Yoon’s legal team has consistently claimed that the arrest was driven by political motives and that the warrant was flawed due to issues in the investigative process.
On Friday, one of his attorneys accused investigators of engaging in “warrant shopping,” pointing out their attempts to secure search warrants and communication record warrants from multiple courts.
“After the Seoul Central District Court rejected their warrants, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) turned to the Seoul Western District Court,” stated lawyer Yoon Kab-keun.
Neither the courts nor the CIO, which is overseeing the investigation, were available for immediate comment.
President Yoon’s protection from most criminal charges will lapse if he is removed by the Constitutional Court, which is currently in the final stages of reviewing his impeachment.
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The Constitutional Court announced on Thursday that it will hear concluding statements from Yoon and parliament in the upcoming session regarding his potential removal or the restoration of his presidential authority.
Analysts predict that a decision may be reached in March.
