Yoon to appear in court for arrest warrant review

Former President Yoon Suk-yeol will personally attend a court hearing on July 9 to review a special counsel’s request for his arrest warrant over charges related to abuse of power and obstruction of official duties.

According to the legal community, on Monday, Judge Nam Se-jin of the Seoul Central District Court will hold the pretrial detention review for Yoon at 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday. Yoon is accused of abusing his authority, falsifying official documents, and interfering in the execution of special government duties. While Yoon will attend the hearing, he is reportedly not planning to make his own legal arguments during the session.

In the 66-page warrant request filed on Sunday, the special counsel team stated that Yoon has consistently refused to cooperate with the investigation and judicial procedures. It further claimed that Yoon attempted to obstruct the execution of the warrant by mobilizing security officials and treated the presidential residence as if it were beyond the reach of the law. The team also alleged that Yoon declared martial law without any proper deliberation during a Cabinet meeting held merely for appearances and later approved the drafting and disposal of a “post-facto proclamation,” which constitutes both falsification of official records and a violation of the Presidential Archives Act.

The special counsel argued that the charges against Yoon are credible and that there is a risk of flight or evidence destruction, warranting pretrial detention. Yoon’s legal team countered that the investigation has not produced any objective evidence and that even the witness testimonies cited do not substantiate the alleged crimes.

A ruling on the arrest warrant is expected as early as the late evening of July 9. If granted, Yoon would be detained again 123 days after his previous release on March 8, which was ordered by the court.


구민기기자 koo@donga.com