South Korea’s ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol rearrested

Yoon, who was the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested, faces trial on charges of leading an insurrection over his attempt to impose martial law.

A senior judge at Seoul’s Central District Court issued an arrest warrant for Yoon on Wednesday, citing fears he could destroy evidence.

Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached in April over the order, which saw military rule introduced for six-hours in December.

South Korea’s former president has been rearrested over last year’s failed martial law bid that plunged the country into political turmoil.

During Wednesday’s seven-hour hearing, a special counsel team argued for the arrest warrant on five key charges, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.

The charges include Yoon’s alleged violation of the rights of cabinet members by not inviting some of them to a meeting before he declared martial law.

Yoon initially attended the hearing alongside his lawyers to deny the charges, before being taken to Seoul Detention Center to await a decision on an arrest warrant.

He was first arrested in January following a lengthy stand-off, with investigators scaling barricades and cutting through barbed wire to take him into custody from his residence in central Seoul.

Yoon was released two months later after a court overturned his arrest on technical grounds, but still faces trial.

If found guilty, he could face life in prison or the death penalty.

Prosecutors have reportedly found evidence that Yoon ordered military drones to be flown over North Korea to provoke a reaction that would justify his martial law declaration, according to reports.

Other senior officials also face charges including insurrection and abuse of authority over the martial law declaration.

Insurrection is one of a small number of criminal charges from which South Korean presidents do not have immunity, but now Yoon is no longer president he is open to other criminal charges.

South Korea’s new president, Lee Jae-myung, was elected in June following a snap election after Yoon’s impeachment.

Lee campaigned on the promise to strengthen the country’s democracy following the crisis and appointed a special counsel team to investigate Yoon over the imposition of martial-law, as well as other criminal allegations surrounding his administration.

Last Updated: July 10, 2025, 03:07 IST

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Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been rearrested in connection with his controversial attempt to impose martial law last year, a move that led to his impeachment and threw the country into political chaos.

A senior judge at Seoul Central District Court approved the arrest warrant on Wednesday, citing concerns that Yoon may attempt to destroy evidence related to the case.

Yoon, who was impeached in April and removed from office, is accused of leading an insurrection during a six-hour imposition of martial law in December. Prosecutors allege he bypassed cabinet procedures and orchestrated the military takeover without proper legal or institutional checks.

The former president appeared at a seven-hour court hearing earlier in the day, where a special counsel team laid out five charges against him. Among them was the claim that Yoon violated the rights of cabinet members by excluding several ministers from a key meeting ahead of the martial law declaration. He initially denied all charges but was transferred to Seoul Detention Center to await the court’s decision.

This marks Yoon’s second arrest in the case. He was first detained in January after a dramatic standoff in central Seoul, during which investigators forcibly entered his residence, cutting through barbed wire and barricades. That arrest was later overturned on procedural grounds, and Yoon was released in March.

However, the investigation continued. According to local media reports, prosecutors have uncovered evidence that Yoon ordered military drones to fly over North Korea, allegedly to provoke a hostile response that could be used to justify martial law.

If convicted of leading an insurrection, Yoon could face life imprisonment or even the death penalty, one of the few crimes for which South Korean presidents do not enjoy legal immunity, even while in office.

Several of Yoon’s former aides and senior officials are also under investigation for their roles in the failed military maneuver, facing charges that include insurrection and abuse of power.

Yoon’s successor, President Lee Jae-myung, was elected in June in a snap election following Yoon’s impeachment. Lee ran on a platform promising to restore democratic norms and transparency, and he swiftly appointed a special counsel to investigate Yoon’s martial law declaration and other alleged abuses during his administration.

A South Korean court, early Thursday, approved a new arrest warrant for former President Yoon Suk Yeol over charges linked to his brief but controversial imposition of martial law last December.

The Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of a request by special prosecutor Cho Eun-suk, who argued that Yoon poses a significant risk of destroying evidence.

This latest development sends the ousted conservative leader back to a detention center near the capital, just four months after he was released from custody in March. At that time, the same court overturned his initial January arrest, allowing him to face trial for rebellion without being held in detention.

Special Prosecutor Cho’s team is pursuing additional charges, including obstruction of official duties, abuse of power, and falsifying official documents. Yoon was questioned twice before the arrest request was submitted on Sunday.

Yoon’s legal team had condemned the renewed arrest request as “excessive and unsubstantiated.” They have yet to issue a formal response to the court’s decision. Yoon, who did not speak to reporters when he arrived for Wednesday’s seven-hour hearing, was transferred back to detention following the court’s ruling.

Yoon, who was formally removed from office in April after the Constitutional Court upheld his impeachment, could now face an extended period in custody. Under South Korean law, he may be held for up to 20 days before formal indictment. If indicted, Yoon could remain in pre-trial detention for as long as six months pending a court ruling.

The case stems from Yoon’s imposition of martial law on December 3, 2024 — an action he claimed was necessary to counter what he called “anti-state” liberal lawmakers obstructing his policies. The measure was quickly overturned after lawmakers, supported by security forces who defied Yoon’s orders, reconvened at the National Assembly and repealed the decree within hours.

On January 26, Yoon was indicted by public prosecutors on charges of masterminding an attempted rebellion — including efforts to seize control of the legislature, the national election commission, and detain political opponents. The charges carry severe penalties, including the death sentence or life imprisonment.

Further accusations claim Yoon bypassed legal procedures by imposing martial law without Cabinet approval and used presidential security forces as a personal militia to block law enforcement attempts to detain him in early January.

In response to the constitutional crisis, President Lee Jae Myung, Yoon’s liberal rival who won the June snap election, signed into law a bill last month authorizing a wide-ranging investigation into Yoon’s actions, including separate allegations involving his wife and former administration officials.

As South Korea grapples with the fallout of one of its most severe political upheavals in recent history, legal proceedings against Yoon are expected to dominate headlines and deepen the nation’s ongoing reckoning with executive overreach.

Chioma Kalu

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July 9, 2025 22:19

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A South Korean court has approved a request for another arrest of former President Yoon Suk Yeol on charges related to the declaration 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 halted his arrest in January and allowed him to stand trial without being held in custody, the AP reported.

The criminal case against him is being handled by a team of investigators under the direction of special prosecutor Cho Eun-suk, who are pursuing additional charges of Yoon’s authoritarian push, including obstruction of official duties, abuse of power, and falsification of official documents.

The new arrest could mark the beginning of a long period in detention for the former president.