A South Korean court on Tuesday approved an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was ousted and suspended from power over his decision to impose martial law on December 3. investigating authorities said.
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO) confirmed that Seoul's Western District Court approved the warrant requested by investigators investigating Yoon's short-term imposition of martial law.
This is the first arrest warrant issued for a president in South Korea, according to local media.
The CIO did not mention the court's reason for issuing the arrest warrant. The court declined to comment.
It was unclear when or how the arrest warrant for Yoon will be executed. South Korea's presidential security service said in a statement on Tuesday that it will handle the arrest warrant in accordance with due process.
The court also approved a search warrant for Yoon's residence, the CIO said.
Before that, the police have tried but failed to raid the president's office as part of the investigation, due to the president's security service blocking access.
Yoon is facing a criminal investigation into possible terrorism charges. Rebellion is one of the few charges for which the South Korean president is not immune.
The acting leader of South Korea's People's Power Party, Kweon Seong-dong, said Tuesday that it is inappropriate to try to detain a sitting president, according to the Yonhap news agency.
