South Korea’s Special Prosecutor Seeks Arrest of Former President Yoon Suk Yeol
Express newspaper
25/06/2025 7:02
South Korean prosecutors on Tuesday asked the court for a new arrest warrant to detain former President Yoon Suk Yeol, after he refused a summons from investigators probing his failed attempt to impose martial law.
Yoon was formally removed from office in April, after being impeached and suspended by lawmakers over his December 3 attempt to overthrow civilian rule, which saw armed soldiers stationed in parliament.
He is already on trial on charges of sedition, attending court in person to defend himself against the charges.
However, he has refused several summonses to appear in court by a special council formed to investigate the declaration of a state of emergency that parliament voted to launch earlier in the month.
“An arrest warrant has been requested for former President Yoon Suk Yeol on charges including obstruction of official duties,” the special counsel said in a statement.
“The arrest warrant was requested for the purpose of conducting questioning of the suspect,” adding that “he has clearly indicated his intention not to respond to future calls.”
Prosecutor Park Ji-young, a member of the special counsel, said at a press conference that Yoon was just “one of several suspects” they had called in for questioning.