South Korea issues arrest warrant for ex-President Yoon

The arrest warrant was issued in the early hours of Thursday, according to the South Korean news agency Yonhap. Yoon had appeared in a Seoul court on Wednesday for a seven-hour hearing to review the arrest warrant requested by prosecutors, and was then taken to a detention centre while he waited for the court’s decision. Aljazeera reported.

Yoon was previously arrested in January while he was still president, but was released in March after his arrest was overturned.

However, the Seoul Central District Court accepted on Thursday Special Prosecutor Cho Eun-suk’s argument that there was a risk Yoon would seek to destroy evidence if he was not arrested.

Cho’s team had questioned him twice before submitting a request for Yoon’s arrest warrant on Sunday. Yoon’s lawyers had said that the request was excessive and without basis.

The former president is accused of abuse of power, falsifying official documents and obstruction of official duties, as well as charges related to his attempt at imposing martial law on South Korea, in what prosecutors have labelled an attempted rebellion and an attempt to seize total power and detain his opponents. He denies the charges.