A warrant has been issued to detain South Korea’s impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol for questioning over his shortlived attempt to impose martial law earlier this month.
The country’s anti-corruption agency said on Tuesday that a Seoul court granted the arrest warrant sought by prosecutors investigating Mr Yoon over the martial law declaration.
The warrant came after the president ignored several summons for questioning over charges of insurrection and abuse of power.
Mr Yoon’s lawyers called the warrant and the charges “unlawful”.
Yoon Kab Keun, one of the lawyers, said the president had “no reason to avoid the investigation” but his conduct should be judged by the constitutional court and not through criminal proceedings.
He said Mr Yoon would be present personally at constitutional court hearings.
The latest development deepens South Korea’s political crisis which started on 3 December when the president declared martial law, sparking widespread protests and the impeachment of Mr Yoon as well as his acting successor Han Duck Soo.
The warrant, valid until 6 January, could see Mr Yoon detained at the Seoul Detention Center if executed, the state news agency Yonhap reported.
Mr Yoon is South Korea’s first sitting president to face arrest.