Issuance of Arrest Warrant for Yoon... Ruling Party: "Inappropriate" vs Opposition: "Immediate Arrest"

Kwon Seong-dong "Issue of National Dignity... Investigative Agencies Must Be Cautious"
Park Chan-dae "Do Not Shield the Chief of Rebellion"

An arrest warrant has been issued for President Yoon Seok-yeol, who is accused of insurrection. While the ruling party pointed out that detaining a sitting president is inappropriate, the opposition pressured for the immediate arrest of President Yoon to manage the state affairs.

On the 31st, as the hearing for the arrest warrant of President Yoon Seok-yeol continued for over 30 hours, civic group members held a picket protest near the presidential residence in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, urging the arrest of President Yoon. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

On the 31st, Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party, met with reporters after a floor strategy meeting at the National Assembly and commented on the issuance of the arrest warrant for President Yoon, saying, "It is more appropriate to coordinate opinions further with the sitting president regarding the investigation and request his appearance," adding, "Attempting to detain a sitting president through emergency measures such as an arrest warrant is not appropriate."

He continued, "Arrest warrants are issued when there is a strong risk of evidence tampering or flight, but President Yoon has not fled, and the investigation of those related to martial law has been completed, so there is no concern about evidence tampering," emphasizing, "This is a matter of national dignity. I hope the investigative agencies would have exercised more caution."

He refrained from commenting on the possibility of clashes during the arrest process of President Yoon. There is a situation where the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) may attempt to execute the arrest warrant for President Yoon, but the Presidential Security Service might block it. Floor leader Kwon said, "(Regarding the possibility of clashes) President Yoon will respond appropriately." There were also signs of distancing from the ruling party concerning the rapidly progressing investigation related to President Yoon. He stated, "The party is not in a position to dictate matters related to the investigation and trial. It is solely the president's responsibility."

The opposition welcomed the news of the issuance of the arrest warrant for President Yoon and pressured for his immediate arrest.

Jin Seong-jun, policy chief of the Democratic Party of Korea, said at a floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, "President Yoon even ordered the martial law troops to open fire and instructed to break down the National Assembly door with an axe and arrest," adding, "President Yoon must be arrested immediately to restore the rule of law." He also urged Choi Sang-mok, acting Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, to "order the Presidential Security Service and others to actively cooperate with the insurrection investigation," and called on him to "immediately accept and promulgate the special investigation laws on general insurrection and on Mrs. Kim Geon-hee."

He also promised to accelerate the identification of those responsible for the insurrection. Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the Democratic Party, stated, "The Special Committee on the National Assembly Investigation of the Insurrection will begin activities immediately after adopting the investigation plan agreed upon by both ruling and opposition parties at the plenary session of the National Assembly today," adding, "The Democratic Party will do its best to identify those responsible for the unconstitutionality and illegality of the December 3 insurrection incident, the process of the National Assembly invasion, and to root out those responsible." Furthermore, he added, "The People Power Party should not shield the insurrection ringleader for whom an arrest warrant has even been issued and should actively cooperate in managing the national emergency situation."

Lee Soon-hyung, chief judge in charge of warrants at the Seoul Western District Court, issued the arrest and search warrants requested by the CIO against President Yoon, who is accused of being the ringleader of the insurrection, on the morning of the same day. The CIO requested the arrest warrant at midnight the previous day after President Yoon failed to respond to three summonses and did not submit a reason for non-appearance. The CIO is expected to mobilize police and other personnel to execute the arrest warrant as early as the same day. This is the first time in constitutional history that an arrest warrant has been requested, issued, and executed against a sitting president.