Suspended South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected in court on Saturday to rule on whether to extend his detention, following his arrest for his failed attempt to impose martial law.
Mr. Yoon was apprehended and put behind bars following an assault by authorities on his residence on Wednesday, a first in South Korea for a titular head of state.
The conservative leader is the subject of several investigations, including one for “rebellion”a crime punishable by death. He is accused of having shaken the country and democracy by declaring martial law by surprise on December 3, a coup however quickly thwarted by the deputies, within a Parliament surrounded by soldiers.
Investigators could hold Mr. Yoon for 48 hours under the active arrest warrant at the time of their raid. They requested an extension on Friday to keep him locked up longer.
The capital’s Western District Court has scheduled a hearing at 2:00 p.m. local time (05:00 GMT) to study the issue, with a decision expected in the evening or by Sunday morning. An extension will likely extend Yoon Suk Yeol’s detention to 20 days, giving prosecutors time to charge him. On the contrary, a refusal will result in his release.
“The president will attend (…) the hearing”one of his lawyers, Yoon Kab-keun, announced to AFP, adding: “He chose to appear in order to restore his honor by directly explaining the legitimacy of martial law”.
Court closed to the public
The National Assembly adopted an impeachment motion against Mr. Yoon on December 14, leading to his suspension. However, he officially remains the president, with only the Constitutional Court having the power to strip him of his title.
The court has until mid-June to do this, or decide to reinstate him in his functions. Yoon Suk Yeol had assured through his lawyers that he would attend a hearing to explain himself, but he did not come to the first two.
Following his arrest, he claimed to have chosen to obey the authorities to avoid any “bloodshed”saying he does not recognize the legality of the investigations into him.
The ex-magistrate had been holed up at home for weeks, protected by his security service, who remained loyal and who had foiled a first attempt to arrest him in early January.
The court called to rule on the extension of his detention closed to the public Friday evening, citing security concerns.
Many of Yoon Suk Yeol’s supporters gathered in front of his doors to demand a judgment in his favor.
Mr. Yoon remains silent for the moment in the face of investigators trying to question him about his coup, which he had justified at the time of the events by his desire to protect South Korea from “North Korean communist forces” and “elements hostile to the State”.