South Korean court approves new arrest of former President Yoon Suk-Yeol

A South Korean court approved the detention of former President Yoon Suk-Yeol on Thursday morning. The arrest is linked to charges related to his attempted imposition of martial law last December. The court accepted the special prosecutor’s claim that Yoon was a flight risk and could destroy evidence, ultimately granting the warrant.

Following the issuance of the warrant by the Seoul Central District Court, Yoon was returned to a detention center near the capital, just four months after his release in March. Previously, this same court had dismissed his January arrest and allowed proceedings related to his rebellion case to occur without detaining him.

The investigation into Yoon’s criminal activities is being led by special prosecutor Cho Yoon-suk’s team. They have added charges of interfering with official duties, abusing power, and forging official documents to his case.

Before requesting his arrest warrant in court on Sunday, Cho’s team interrogated Yoon on two separate occasions. Yoon’s legal representatives criticized the arrest request as excessive and baseless. Following his impeachment, which was supported by the Constitutional Court, Yoon’s legal team did not immediately respond to the court’s arrest decision in April, which formally removed him from office.

Yoon avoided answering journalists’ questions upon attending the court review of the special prosecutor’s request on Wednesday afternoon. The hearing lasted nearly seven hours, after which Yoon was taken to a detention center to await the court’s decision.

Yoon’s re-arrest may lead to an extended detention, potentially lasting several months. Initially, he could be detained for 20 days, while the special prosecutor’s team aims to level additional charges against him.

If found guilty of the new charges, Yoon might be held in detention for up to six months until the court reaches an initial verdict. Should he be convicted, and a jail sentence be issued, Yoon would serve the term, likely escalating the matter to a higher court.

Special investigator Park Ji-young, a senior member of Cho’s team, announced plans to interrogate Yoon again on Friday. Yoon was absent from the Thursday court hearing in Seoul regarding his previous rebellion charges. His legal team provided no immediate explanation for his absence.

The conservative former leader had described his December 3 imposition of martial law as a necessary step against what he claimed were ‘state-hostile’ liberal oppositors using their legislative majority to hinder his agenda. However, his directive lasted only a few hours before lawmakers broke through heavily armed blockades to vote against the measure.

On December 14, lawmakers impeached Yoon, and on January 26, government prosecutors charged him as the mastermind behind an attempted rebellion, describing his power grab as an illegal effort to seize the legislature and election offices and detain political opponents.

Punishments for these charges could include the death penalty or life imprisonment. Yoon also faces allegations of implementing martial law without following proper legal procedures, deploying the presidential security force unlawfully, and acting like a private army. This force allegedly impeded initial law enforcement efforts to detain him at his residence in early January following a formal cabinet meeting discussion.

His liberal rival and current President Lee Jae-myung initiated a broad special investigation last month into Yoon’s failed martial law attempt and other criminal charges involving his wife and administration. Lee, who was elected to replace Yoon in a snap election in June, backed this move.