S Korea investigators get new warrant to arrest president

South Korean anti-graft investigators secured a new court-ordered arrest warrant yesterday for impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, whose failed martial law bid threw the country into turmoil.

The former star prosecutor has refused questioning three times after his bungled December 3 martial law decree plunged South Korea into its worst political crisis in decades.

As anti-graft officials and police got their fresh warrant from the same court that issued the first order, Yoon remained holed up in his residence surrounded by hundreds of guards preventing his detention.

"The arrest warrant re-requested for the suspect Yoon was issued today in the afternoon," the Joint Investigation Headquarters said in a statement.

The Corruption Investigation Office, which is leading the probe into the president, has kept secret the length of the warrant it requested after the initial seven-day one expired.

If investigators are able to detain Yoon, he will become the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested.

But they will only have 48 hours to either request another arrest warrant, in order to keep him in detention, or be forced to release him.

The anti-graft officials have sought more time and help because of the difficulties they have faced, including being met by hundreds of security forces when they entered Yoon's presidential residence on Friday.

Yoon is being investigated on charges of insurrection and, if formally arrested and convicted, faces prison or, at worst, the death penalty.

His lawyers repeatedly said the initial warrant was unlawful, pledging to take further legal action against it.

They have argued the CIO lacks the authority to investigate because insurrection is not included in the list of offenses it can probe.

Agence France-Presse