Seoul court issues second arrest warrant for former President Yoon Suk Yeol

A Seoul court has issued an arrest warrant for former President Yoon Suk Yeol in connection with his failed bid to impose martial law, marking his second time in custody.

Nam Se-jin, a senior judge at the Seoul Central District Court, authorised the warrant following a request from special counsel Cho Eun-suk, citing concerns that Yoon might attempt to destroy evidence, Caliber.Az reports, citing South Korean media.

Yoon faces five key charges, including allegedly violating the rights of Cabinet members by selectively inviting only certain officials to a meeting held shortly before declaring martial law on December 3.

During the hearing, Yoon and his legal team denied all charges before the former president was taken to the Seoul Detention Centre in Uiwang, south of the capital, to await further proceedings.

Among the accusations are claims that Yoon fabricated a martial law declaration document after December 3 to legitimise his actions, which was signed by then-Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and then-Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun before being discarded.

Additional charges include instructing the presidential spokesperson for foreign press to distribute false statements denying any intent to undermine the constitutional order, ordering the Presidential Security Service to prevent his detention by investigators in early January, and directing the deletion of call records from secure phones used by three military commanders.

Yoon was first arrested in January while still in office, but the court later accepted his request to cancel the arrest, resulting in his release in March.

By Vugar Khalilov