In a statement released after the warrant was issued on December 31, the legal team said: “Arrest warrant and search and seizure warrant issued by an investigative body without competent authority violate the law, making them illegal and invalid.”
They added: “Applying for the arrest warrant at the Seoul Western District Court instead of the Seoul Central District Court, which is supposed to handle the main trial, goes against established principles and precedents. This is deeply regrettable. It is also incomprehensible that an arrest warrant was issued even though the president had valid reasons for not being present, such as matters relating to the investigative authority.”
The IOC had filed the arrest warrant at the Seoul Western District Court at midnight the previous day after President Yoon failed to respond to three summonses. Judge Lee Soon-hyung, who oversees warrants at the Seoul Western District Court, issued the warrant that morning.
Meanwhile, on the night of December 3, President Yoon Suk Yeol announced martial law during a live speech. However, following the National Assembly’s passing of a motion to abolish martial law in the early hours of December 4, he rescinded the declaration at around 4:30 am.
