South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol attends a hearing of his impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea, 11 February 2025;
Credit: Lee Jin-man/Pool via Reuters/ File Photo
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean police are formally building a case against impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over accusations he obstructed the execution of an arrest warrant, a police spokesperson said on Friday 21 February 2025.
A South Korean court issued an arrest warrant for Yoon on 31 December 2024 in a criminal investigation accusing the suspended leader of insurrection over his martial law decree last year.
The warrant, however, was not executed until 15 January 2025 after Yoon did not comply and the Presidential Security Service blocked investigators for days.
Police have been investigating Yoon on suspicion of the special obstruction of public duty since around 3 January 2025, a police spokesperson said by text message.
The crime is punishable by up to five years in jail, according to South Korean law.
Yoon has said that his short-lived declaration of martial law did not constitute insurrection, one of only two charges a sitting president is not immune from.
Yoon's lawyers did not have an immediate comment on Friday, but they have previously said the arrest warrant was invalid because the probe was not conducted properly.
The suspended leader's immunity from most criminal charges will end if he is ousted by the Constitutional Court which is in the final phases of deliberating on his impeachment.
The Constitutional Court said on Thursday 20 February 2025 that the court will hear final statements from Yoon and parliament in the next hearing in Yoon's trial on whether to oust him or restore his presidential powers.
Analysts have forecast a ruling could be made in March 2025.
