Court Issues Arrest Warrant for President Yoon Suk-yeol Amid Controversy

On December 31, a South Korean court issued an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk-yeol, prompting his legal team to declare the warrant as "illegal and void" due to its issuance by an investigative body lacking prosecutorial authority. Yoon's attorney, Yoon Gap-geun, expressed astonishment at the warrant being granted by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (공수처), which does not possess the jurisdiction to investigate such matters. He criticized the decision to file the warrant in the Western District Court rather than the Seoul Central District Court, where the main trial is expected to take place, calling it contrary to established principles and precedents. Yoon's attorney also noted that as a sitting president, there are legitimate reasons for his absence from proceedings, making the issuance of the arrest warrant difficult to comprehend. The presiding judge at the Western District Court, Lee Soon-hyung, approved both the arrest warrant and a search warrant for the president's residence. The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission had previously sought the warrant on charges related to insurrection leadership against President Yoon.