A South Korean court granted an extension of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s detention, saying it was “concerned” that Yoon might “lose” evidence in a criminal investigation related to his brief declaration of martial law in early December.
The president was accused South KoreaYoon Suk Yeol argued that he was released from custody before the court in Seoul.
The Seoul Western District Court approved the arrest warrant, he said requested by the Corruption Investigation Office for Archi-ranker Officials (CIO).
The reason for the approval was “to ensure that the suspect destroys evidence,” the court said in a statement. Under the new passport, Yoon can be detained for up to 20 days. He is being held in a Seoul detention center.
So far, Yoon has stonewalled the CIO’s efforts to question him, refusing to participate in the questioning. It is unclear if Yoon will cooperate with investigators during the extended detention.
The explosion at a court in western Seoul caused scenes of chaos in nearby streets, where thousands of his supporters rallied for hours for his release.
They clashed with the police, who detained about 40 protesters, including about 20 who climbed the fence in an attempt to approach the court. At least two vehicles carrying anti-corruption investigators were injured as they left the courtroom after discussing Yoon’s arrest.
Yoon has been in detention since a great operation of the law was included at his residence on Wednesday. He was accused of sedition after his orchestra the declaration of martial law in December last yearwhich triggered South Korea’s most serious political crisis since its democratization in the late 1980s.
Yoon’s lawyers told the judge that he spoke for about 40 minutes during a closed-door hearing. His legal team and anti-corruption agencies are presenting conflicting accounts of whether he should be kept in custody. The lawyers did not share specific comments.
Yoon was transported to the court from a detention center in Uiwang near Seoul, where he received a blue check by the police and the presidential security service.
The motorcade entered the parking lot of the platform to thousands of Yoon supporters gathered in nearby streets despite a heavy police presence. Some of the protesters broke through the police lines and knocked on the window of their vanity as they approached the court. Yoon did not speak to reporters.
After its investigators were attacked by protesters, the anti-corruption agency asked media companies to obscure the faces of their members from the hearing.
It’s not clear whether Yoon wants to attend Saturday’s hearing, but he appears to have received advice from his legal team to appear before the judge himself.
A member of the party said the president argues that his decision was a legitimate exercise of his power and does not hold the accusations of rebellion before the criminal court or the constitutional court, which reviews whether to formally remove him from office or reinstate him. him
Nine people, including Defense Minister Yoon, the head of the capital and several senior military leaders, have been arrested and charged for their roles in martial law enforcement.
Orchestrating a rebellion is punishable by life in prison or the death penalty under South Korean law.
Yoon’s lawyers argued that there was no need to detain him during the investigation, saying there was no threat to flee or destroy evidence.
Investigators responded that Yoon had ignored several requests to appear for questioning and the president’s security service He blocked the attempt to stop on the 3rd of January. his defiance He allayed concerns about whether he would comply with a criminal trial if he was not caught.
Reuters and Associated Press reports