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A court in Seoul on Thursday issued an arrest warrant for former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol over his failed martial law bid and placed him in custody for the second time, Yonhap News Agency reported.
Senior judge at the Seoul Central District Court, Nam Se-jin, issued the arrest warrant requested by special counsel Cho Eun-suk, citing concerns that Yoon could destroy evidence. Cho Eun-suk's team requested the court to issue an arrest warrant on five key charges, including Yoon's alleged violation of the rights of Cabinet members by calling only a few to a meeting held shortly before he announced martial law on December 3. Yoon and his lawyers were present during the hearing and rejected all charges before the former South Korean President was taken to Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang to await the decision of the court. Yoon Suk Yeol has been accused of making a false martial law declaration document after December 3 to add legitimacy to his actions and had it signed by South Korea's then Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and then Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun before discarding it, Yonhap News Agency reported. The other charges faced by Yoon include his alleged order to the presidential spokesperson for press to distribute false statements denying his intention to destroy the constitutional order through the martial law attempt, his alleged order to the Presidential Security Service to block his detention by investigators in early January and his alleged order to delete call records from secure phones used by three military commanders, Yonhap News Agency reported. Yoon has been arrested for the second time. He was arrested for the first time in January, when he was still in office. However, the court later agreed to his request to cancel his arrest and granted his release in March. Earlier in May, Yoon Suk Yeol announced his departure from the People Power Party (PPP) on Saturday and urged voters to support the party's presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo, according to a report from the Yonhap news agency. Yoon's decision followed growing calls within the conservative PPP for him to sever ties with the party. In a Facebook post, Yoon wrote, "I am leaving the People Power Party today," adding, "Although I am leaving the party, I will continue to stand at the forefront to defend freedom and national sovereignty." "Please give your support to Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party. Make sure to cast your vote. Every single vote is a path toward safeguarding this country's freedom, sovereignty and prosperity," he stated. (ANI)
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