SEOUL – South Korean police are formally building a case against impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over accusations he obstructed the execution of an arrest warrant, a police spokesperson said on Feb 21.
A South Korean court issued an arrest warrant for Mr Yoon on Dec 31 in a criminal investigation accusing the suspended leader of insurrection over his martial law decree in 2024.
The warrant, however, was not executed until Jan 15 after Mr Yoon did not comply and the Presidential Security Service blocked investigators for days.
Police have been investigating Mr Yoon on suspicion of the special obstruction of public duty since around Jan 3, a police spokesperson said by text message.
The crime is punishable by up to five years in jail, according to South Korean law.
Mr Yoon has said that his short-lived declaration of martial law did not constitute insurrection, one of only two charges a sitting president is not immune from.
Mr Yoon’s lawyers did not have an immediate comment on Feb 21, but they have previously said the arrest warrant was invalid because the probe was not conducted properly.
The suspended leader’s immunity from most criminal charges will end if he is ousted by the Constitutional Court which is in the final phases of deliberating on his impeachment.
The Constitutional Court said on Feb 20 that the court will hear final statements from Mr Yoon and parliament in the next hearing in Mr Yoon’s trial on whether to oust him or restore his presidential powers.
Analysts have forecast a ruling could be made in March. REUTERS
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