Former President Yoon Faces Court as Arrest Looms Over Martial Law Scandal

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol is scheduled to attend a court hearing on Wednesday as he faces potential arrest over charges related to his failed attempt to impose martial law. Yoon is expected to appear at the Seoul Central District Court at 2:15 p.m. after a special counsel team, led by prosecutor Cho Eun-suk, filed for an arrest warrant against him on five major charges.

Among these charges is his alleged violation of Cabinet members’ rights by selectively inviting only a few to a meeting held shortly before he declared martial law on December 3.

The special counsel team also accuses the former president of creating a false document containing his martial law declaration after the event. They claim he obtained signatures from then Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and then Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun to lend legitimacy to his actions.

Other charges include his alleged order to the presidential spokesperson for foreign press to distribute false statements denying his intent to undermine the constitutional order through the martial law attempt. He is also accused of directing the Presidential Security Service to prevent his detention by investigators in early January, and allegedly ordering the deletion of call records from secure phones used by three military commanders.
Yoon’s legal team has vehemently denied all charges.

The court is expected to reach a decision on the warrant late Wednesday or early Thursday. In the meantime, the former president will await the outcome at Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, a city just south of the capital.

If the court issues the warrant, it will mark the second time Yoon has been placed in custody. The first instance occurred in January while he was still in office. (Yonhap)