Seoul Court Dismisses President Yoon’s Injunction to Block Warrants for Detention and Search

CGC News Reporter January 6, 2025

A Seoul court on Sunday dismissed an injunction filed by President Yoon Suk Yeol, seeking to invalidate warrants issued for his detention and the search of his presidential residence. The decision from the Seoul Western District Court came days after Yoon’s legal defense team objected to the warrants, calling them “illegal.”

The court had previously approved a warrant to detain Yoon for questioning over his involvement in a failed martial law attempt on December 3. A separate warrant was also issued to search the presidential residence compound in central Seoul.

The Corruption Investigation for High-ranking Officials, which is handling the case, attempted to execute the warrants on Friday. However, their efforts were thwarted after a six-hour standoff with the Presidential Security Service, which blocked access to the site.

Yoon’s legal team contended that the warrants were legally flawed, arguing that the judge who issued them incorrectly ruled that the criminal law prohibiting searches or arrests in restricted military and security areas did not apply to the president’s case. The court’s reasoning behind its dismissal has yet to be disclosed.