OAN Staff Blake Wolf
12:37 PM – Monday, December 30, 2024
South Korean law enforcement officials requested a court issued warrant on Monday for impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, in an attempt to detain the former president while investigating whether his December 3rd martial law decree was an abuse of authority — amounting to rebellion.
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The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials is the organization behind the warrant request.
They plan on questioning and further probing whether Yoon’s initiation of martial law on December 3rd could be considered unconstitutional and an abuse of power.
Yoon says that his declaration of martial law was an attempt to counter opposing actors who were “trying to overthrow the free democracy,” in the first declaration of martial law by a South Korean president since the country’s military dictatorship in the late 1980s.
Although the martial law order only lasted a few hours, it plunged the country into political chaos. Yoon is now being accused of attempting to block the National Assembly from voting to repeal the martial law order by sending hundreds of troops to encircle the building.
The martial law declaration sparked backlash as protestors took to the streets to oppose the order, while lawmakers rushed to the National Assembly to repeal the martial law order, including members from Yoon’s own political party.
In response, the National Assembly voted to impeach him on December 14th, meaning that his political career is now in the hands of the Constitutional Court, which has now begun formally discussing whether to uphold the impeachment or reinstate him.
Meanwhile, Yoon Kap-Keun, the president’s lawyer, slammed the Corruption Investigation agency, arguing that the organization did not have the authority to investigate charges of abuse of power and rebellion charges.
“An incumbent president cannot be prosecuted for abuse of power,” Yoon Kap-Keun stated.
“Of course, there are differing academic opinions on whether a president can be investigated for abuse of power and some assert that investigations are possible. But even when investigations are allowed, the prevailing opinion is that they should be exercised with the utmost restraint,” he added.
Additionally, the process of forcefully detaining Yoon could prove to be difficult, as there could be a potentially violent clash with Yoon’s own presidential security service if authorities attempt to forcefully detain him.
The Constitutional Court would require at least six justices out of a nine-member court to vote in favor of confirming Yoon’s impeachment. However, three seats remain vacant following requirements, meaning a unanimous decision to impeach Yoon is required.
Yoon’s opposition Democrat party has vowed to expedite the process of restoring the court to its full capacity in an attempt to re-establish the public’s confidence in the court’s ruling.
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