The Seoul Central District Court issued the warrant, citing concerns that Yoon could destroy evidence, leading to his immediate detention once again in a remand prison in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province.
His rearrest came about four months after his release in March this year, as independent prosecutors, who took over the case about a week after President Lee Jae-myung took office early last month, filed a request to arrest him on fresh charges related to his Dec. 3 declaration of martial law, after questioning him twice.
Yoon, who was arrested in January on charges of insurrection and abuse of power related to the debacle and released after about 50 days of detention, cannot be arrested again on the same charges, so prosecutors sought his arrest on five different charges including falsification of official documents, obstruction of official duties, and other accusations such as refusal to cooperate or attempts to evade questioning.
Yoon, who attended a hearing for the arrest warrant the previous day, reportedly denied all the allegations, citing the illegality of his detention.
But some key aides and officials involved in the case including Kim Seong-hoon, who was in charge of presidential security, changed their statements, which may have influenced the court's decision, interpreting it as an attempt by Yoon to pressure them into testifying in his favor.
Independent prosecutors can hold him for up to 20 days for their investigation and will decide whether to file additional charges to extend his detention. They suspect Yoon may have sent drones to provoke Pyongyang in October last year as part of a broader attempt to justify the debacle or build up excuses for it.
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