Yoon Suk Yeol to stand trial if he is indicted in martial law probe, says lawyer
South Korean police said Wednesday they are “tracking” the location of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol after a court in Seoul issued a fresh arrest warrant against him.
The police statement came amid growing rumors that the 63-year-old leader had fled his official residence to evade arrest.
“We cannot specifically disclose President Yoon's location,” a police official told the Seoul-based Yonhap News. “We continue to track his location.”
Yoon faces charges of insurrection and treason over his brief imposition of martial law on Dec. 3, which led to his impeachment on Dec. 14. The Constitutional Court is now deliberating his removal from office.
Attempts to arrest Yoon have been thwarted by his security detail, which blocked investigators. A court extended the arrest warrant on Tuesday after the failed detention attempts.
Opposition lawmaker Ahn Gyu-back claimed that Yoon “already left the residence and is hiding in a third location.” However, the presidential office dismissed the speculation.
“I have heard the president is currently staying at the official residence,” a presidential official said without providing further details.
Yoon's lawyer said the impeached president would stand trial if formally indicted.
Since taking office in 2022, Yoon has operated from the Defense Ministry compound in Seoul and remained inside his official residence in the Yongsan district since his impeachment.
Yoon is the first sitting South Korean president to face an arrest warrant and a travel ban.
Several senior officials from his administration, including former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Park An-su, and Lt. Gen. Kwak Jong-keun, head of the Army Special Warfare Command, have been indicted on charges of insurrection and abuse of power in connection with the martial law probe.
Pro- and anti-Yoon demonstrators have gathered outside his residence, with opposition protesters demanding his arrest and Yoon's supporters raising US flags and echoing the “stop the steal” slogan to oppose his detention.
