Former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol Detained on Warrant

On July 9, 2025, the Seoul Central District Court issued a warrant for the detention of former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol. This action followed a request from Cho Eun-suk, the independent counsel leading the investigation into Yoon. The court cited concerns that Yoon might destroy evidence as the reason for approving the warrant.

The charges against Yoon, as specified in the warrant, include obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and the creation of a false official document. Local media reports also indicate that he is accused of violating the rights of cabinet members by excluding them from a crucial meeting before his martial law declaration in December.

Further accusations involve ordering the spread of false information to foreign media, instructing aides to impede his arrest in January, and ordering the deletion of call records from secure phones. The special counsel team, which began its investigation on June 18, sought the detention warrant to hold Yoon for an extended period, potentially up to 20 days.

Previously, a warrant for Yoon's arrest for up to 48 hours was sought but rejected by the Seoul court. Yoon had previously refused a police summons on June 19 related to charges of ordering the presidential security service to obstruct his arrest in January and to delete information from security phones provided to military commanders.

Yoon was initially apprehended at the presidential office on January 15 and indicted under detention on January 26 as a suspected leader of an insurrection. He was later released on March 8 after prosecutors chose not to appeal the court's decision. The constitutional court officially removed Yoon from office on April 4 after upholding a motion to impeach him over his martial law attempt.