Arrest Warrant Issued for S.Korean Pres. Yoon

Facts

• A South Korean court has issued arrest warrants for Pres. Yoon Suk Yeol over his attempt to impose martial law on the country in early December, making him the first sitting president in the country's history to face arrest.^[1]
• The martial law order on Dec. 3 was rescinded by members of parliament hours later, with Yoon being impeached on Dec. 14. Yoon's presidential powers are currently suspended pending a constitutional court decision.^[2]
• The arrest and search warrants are for alleged abuse of power and treason and come after Yoon rebuffed summonses from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials. The lawyer for the president has called the warrants "illegal and invalid."^[3][4]
• The warrants will expire on Jan. 6, although it remains to be seen whether Yoon will comply with either. A previous search of the presidential office by investigators was blocked by his security service. Locations containing military secrets are legally protected from search.^[2]
• Yoon will either be formally impeached or reinstated when the Constitutional Court makes its ruling within six months from now. The acting president, Choi Sang-mok, has said that he will fill two vacancies on the nine-member court after his predecessor, Han Duck-soo, refused to do so.^[5]
• The impeached president of the People Power Party has said that the martial law decree was justified due to alleged "anti-state forces." Yoon's defense minister, Kim Yong-hyun, was indicted earlier this month for his role in the incident.^[4][5]

Sources: ^[1]BBC News, ^[2]The Guardian, ^[3]FT, ^[4]CNN and ^[5]Al Jazeera.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by The Guardian. The calamitous and unconstitutional move by Yoon to suspend democracy will have wide-ranging percussions, and is it only right that he face justice personally for this move that imperiled South Korea as we know it. Throwing up obstructions to protect Yoon is fruitless, as a broad coalition of lawmakers and civil society members holds Yoon to account.
• Narrative B, as provided by NPR Online News. While the motivations for his move are yet to be known to the broader public, the brief instance of martial law does not deserve the outsized reactions from enemies of the ruling party. The judiciary should let the impeachment proceedings continue without interference, and not attempt to bypass laws and norms to make a point against the president.