[News Today] ARREST WARRANT SOUGHT FOR YOON

[LEAD]
We now turn to domestic politics. President Yoon Suk Yeol has not complied with his third summons from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials. He asserts the summons is unlawful. Today, the joint investigation team has formally requested the Seoul Western District Court to issue an arrest warrant for President Yoon.

[REPORT]
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials requested President Yoon Suk Yeol to appear for questioning before 10 a.m. Sunday.

But Yoon did not show up.

He rejected the summons for the third time, as he did on December 18 and last Wednesday.

Yoon is known to have not submitted a report on his selection of lawyers or discussed security procedures for his appearance.

The investigation office is considering seeking an arrest warrant for the president, as he has rejected its third subpoena.

With the president's refusal to appear on Sunday, the CIO convened a meeting presided by its chief.

It plans to discuss with the police and decide on the new directions of its investigation.

In response, the president's aide said that issues over procedural legitimacy, including the investigative authority, should be resolved.

Yoon Gap-geun / Lawyer for President Yoon Suk Yeol (Dec. 28)
The CIO lacks authority to investigate an insurrection case. This is not about appearing or not appearing. We'll accept summons only when it is legitimate.

But the current law stipulates that the CIO can investigate related offenses found during a probe into abuse of power by a high-ranking official.

There are no problems with the CIO's questioning of the president, since the summonses were issued in the name of its joint investigation team with police who have the authority to look into an insurrection case.

Kim Kyung-soo / Lawyer for KBS
A joint investigation team, which includes police, has the authority to investigate insurrection charges against president. Since there is concept of related offenses, it is possible to probe insurrection charges as part of an investigation into power abuse.

Investigators now target the president, as most of those involved in the emergency martial law decree have been questioned.

The CIO-police joint investigation team said that it asked the Seoul Western District Court to issue an arrest warrant for Yoon at midnight on Monday.