Home World South Korean court approves new arrest of former President Yoon Suk Yeol

South Korean court approves new arrest of former President Yoon Suk Yeol

Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, centerm arrives at a court to attend a hearing to review his arrest warrant requested by special prosecutors in Seoul, South Korea Wednesday, July 9, 2025.

Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, centerm arrives at a court to attend a hearing to review his arrest warrant requested by special prosecutors in Seoul, South Korea Wednesday, July 9, 2025. Kim Hong-Ji/AP/Pool Reuters hide caption

toggle caption

Kim Hong-Ji/AP/Pool Reuters

SEOUL, South Korea — A South Korean court early Thursday approved the new arrest of former President Yoon Suk Yeol on charges related to his brief imposition of martial law in December, accepting a special prosecutor’s claim that he poses a risk of destroying evidence.

The arrest warrant issued by the Seoul Central District Court sent Yoon back to a detention center near the capital, four months after his release in March, when the same court overturned his January arrest and allowed him to stand trial for rebellion without being held in custody.

His criminal case is being handled by a team of investigators under special prosecutor Cho Eun-suk who are pursuing additional charges over Yoon’s authoritarian push, including obstructing official duties, abuse of power and falsifying official documents.

Sponsor Message

Cho’s team questioned him twice before submitting a request for his arrest warrant to the court on Sunday.

Yoon’s lawyers had described the arrest request as excessive and unsubstantiated. They didn’t immediately react to the court’s decision to approve the arrest of Yoon, who was formally removed from office in April after the Constitutional Court upheld his impeachment.

Yoon didn’t respond to questions by reporters after arriving at the court on Wednesday afternoon for a hearing to review the special prosecutor’s request. After the hearing lasting about seven hours, Yoon was taken to the detention center to await the court’s decision.

Yoon’s new arrest could mark the beginning of an extended period in custody, potentially lasting months or longer. Yoon can be initially detained at the center for up to 20 days, while the special prosecutor will aim to indict him on additional charges.

A protester wears a mask of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol during a rally in support of a hearing to review a special prosecutor's request for his arrest, near the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul, South Korea, on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. The writing reads

A protester wears a mask of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol during a rally in support of a hearing to review a special prosecutor’s request for his arrest, near the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul, South Korea, on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. The writing reads “Yoon Suk Yeol sentenced to death.” Ahn Young-joon/AP hide caption

toggle caption

Ahn Young-joon/AP

If Yoon is indicted on new charges, that could keep him under arrest for up to six months until an initial court ruling. If that court convicts him and issues a prison term, Yoon would serve that sentence as the case possibly moves up to higher courts.

Park Ji-young, a senior investigator on Cho’s team, said they plan to question Yoon again Friday. Yoon was absent from a Thursday hearing at the Seoul court over his earlier indictment on rebellion charges, and his lawyers offered no immediate explanation for his absence.

Sponsor Message

The former conservative leader described his martial law imposition on Dec. 3 as a necessary step to quash his “anti-state” liberal opponents, accusing them of using their legislative majority to obstruct his agenda. But Yoon’s decree lasted only hours, after a quorum of lawmakers broke through a blockade of heavily armed soldiers at the National Assembly and voted to lift the measure.

Yoon was impeached by lawmakers Dec. 14 and indicted Jan. 26 by public prosecutors who accused him of masterminding an attempted rebellion, describing his power grab as an illegal attempt to seize the legislature and election offices and detain political opponents.

The charges are punishable by the death penalty or life imprisonment.

Yoon also faces accusations of enforcing martial law without following required legal procedure, such as deliberation by a formal Cabinet meeting, and of unlawfully deploying the presidential security forces like a private army to block an initial attempt by law enforcement to detain him at his residence in early January.

His liberal rival and current President Lee Jae Myung, who won the June snap election to replace him, last month approved legislation to launch sweeping special investigations into Yoon’s martial law debacle and other criminal allegations involving his wife and administration.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Must Read

UNAIDS report warns HIV progress at risk as U.S. funding cuts take hold

This plaque inside a medical facility in Pretoria states that it was funded by the United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP hide caption toggle caption PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Decades of progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS are in danger of unraveling, the United Nations Aids Agency (UNAIDS)

A harrowing journey to find food in Gaza

Enlarge this image People carrying aid parcels walk along the Salah al-Din road, used by food-seeking Palestinians to reach an aid distribution point set up by the privately-run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Eyad Baba/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Eyad Baba/AFP via Getty Images People carrying aid parcels walk along the Salah al-Din road

Brazil’s Lula warns of 50% tariffs on U.S. goods after Trump trade threat

A container ship docked at the Port of Rio de Janeiro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Thursday, July 10, 2025. Dado Galdieri/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Dado Galdieri/Bloomberg via Getty Images RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva says the U.S. must respect his country —

Thousands celebrate baby hippo Moo Deng’s first birthday at a Thailand zoo

Baby pygmy hippo Moo Deng eats fruit presented for her first birthday celebration at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi province, Thailand, Thursday. Sakchai Lalit/AP hide caption toggle caption Sakchai Lalit/AP CHONBURI, Thailand — Thousands of excited fans flocked to a Thai zoo on Thursday to celebrate the first birthday of Moo Deng, the

South Korean court approves new arrest of former President Yoon Suk Yeol

Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, centerm arrives at a court to attend a hearing to review his arrest warrant requested by special prosecutors in Seoul, South Korea Wednesday, July 9, 2025. Kim Hong-Ji/AP/Pool Reuters hide caption toggle caption Kim Hong-Ji/AP/Pool Reuters SEOUL, South Korea — A South Korean court early Thursday approved the