Guards tighten their ranks Friday in front of the Seoul Western District Court, which issued the emergency warrant that enabled authorities to take President Yoon Suk Yeol into custody. (Yonhap)
Guards tighten their ranks Friday in front of the Seoul Western District Court, which issued the emergency warrant that enabled authorities to take President Yoon Suk Yeol into custody. (Yonhap)

An extended arrest warrant for impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol appeared imminent, as the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials' investigation is in the final stages of filing the warrant for Yoon on charges of leading an insurrection and abuse of power.

This move, expected to be executed Friday afternoon, would mark the first instance in South Korea’s history where a sitting president faces formal arrest.

A CIO official confirmed that while the exact timing of the warrant filing is yet to be determined, preparations are nearly complete. "The submission time for the arrest warrant has not been finalized, but the preparation is almost finished," the official stated.

Despite Yoon's refusal to comply with a third scheduled interrogation earlier in the day, the CIO believes it has sufficient grounds to proceed with the arrest.

Yoon's legal team has maintained that further questioning is unnecessary, citing their previous responses. However, the CIO asserts that without additional questioning the evidence is substantial enough to justify Yoon's detention.

The investigative body has already reviewed over 1,500 pages of evidence, including key testimony from high-ranking military officials implicated in the Dec. 3 martial law case.

This evidence comprises a 400-page interrogation report and the indictment documents for former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who is identified as a central conspirator.

Additionally, the CIO received over 1,000 pages of interrogation records from the prosecution regarding five senior military commanders -- former Army Chief of Staff Park An-soo, former chief of the Defense Counterintelligence Command Yeo In-hyung, former head of the Army Special Warfare Command Lt. Gen. Kwak Jong-keun, chief of the Capital Defense Command Lt. Gen. Lee Jin-woo and Defense Intelligence Commander Maj. Gen. Moon Sang-ho -- who have been indicted in military court.

The CIO plans to charge Yoon as the ringleader of an insurrection and with abuse of power. When asked how the CIO would proceed if Yoon continued to refuse cooperation after the arrest warrant is issued, the agency stated, "That will be determined when the situation arises," leaving the door open for possible forced summons or detention center interrogations.

The CIO also indicated that if the arrest warrant is granted, officials would decide whether to transfer the case to the prosecution within 10 days. "We will review the situation after the warrant is issued," the official added, emphasizing that while the current agreement splits the detention period into two 10-day phases, adjustments could be made depending on the circumstances.

The initial detention period for Yoon, which began at 10:33 a.m. on Wednesday, was supposed to end at the same time on Friday, but was pushed back to 9:05 p.m. due to the Seoul Central District Court’s review on Thursday of the legality of Yoon’s initial arrest warrant, the time spent on which is not to be included in the detention period.

The CIO is likely to file the extended arrest warrant for Yoon with the Seoul Western District Court, which issued the emergency warrant that enabled authorities to take Yoon into custody Wednesday.