South Korea Again Issues Arrest Warrant For President Yoon Seok-Young
(MENAFN- AzerNews)
By Alimat Aliyeva
A South Korean court has once again issued an arrest warrant for
the President of the Republic of Korea, Yoon Seok-youl,
Azernews reports.
"On January 7, an arrest warrant was issued, which was
re-applied for by the department in relation to the suspect
[surnamed] Yoon," the department informed. A day earlier, the
department's staff filed a request with the Seoul Western District
Court to "extend the validity of the arrest warrant."
The previous arrest warrant had been issued on December 31 and
was valid until January 6. On January 3, representatives of the
joint investigation team attempted to arrest Yoon Seok-youl but
left the premises of his residence after a standoff with his guards
that lasted over five hours. His security team, upon presentation
of the warrant, refused to allow a search of the complex. The
Anti-Corruption Investigations Department stated that the arrest
was virtually impossible due to the security measures in place.
According to South Korea's opposition, the guards were armed with
firearms. Law enforcement agencies repeatedly appealed to Acting
President Choi Sang-mok, requesting that the security service
refrain from obstructing the arrest.
On January 7, during a parliamentary hearing, the head of the
Anti-Corruption Department, Oh Dong-un, apologized to the public
for the failure of the arrest attempt. In response to criticism and
accusations that the department was unprepared for the January 3
operation, Oh stated that "many unforeseen circumstances" had
arisen, for which he took responsibility. He promised to
"thoroughly prepare" for the second arrest attempt, emphasizing
that it may be the "last opportunity."
Yoon Seok-youl's lawyers argued that the warrant was invalid, as
the Office of Anti-Corruption Investigations against High-ranking
Officials did not have the authority to investigate the rebellion
case. The Anti-Corruption Directorate began to take the lead in the
case, as the law mandates that other investigative bodies transfer
such cases to the directorate if requested by its head. The
ministry also noted that the rebellion charges were linked to the
abuse of official authority.
This political turmoil highlights ongoing tension in South Korea
between the government and opposition factions, with allegations of
corruption and abuse of power dominating the political
discourse.
MENAFN07012025000195011045ID1109065299
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.