Yoon in court for detention hearing

Suspended South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arrived on Saturday at the Seoul court which will rule on the extension of his detention, AFP noted, after his arrest for his failed attempt to impose martial law.

Yoon Suk Yeol entered the basement of the capital’s Western District Court aboard a blue Justice Ministry van from the detention center where he was placed on Wednesday, according to journalists from the AFP.

Some of his supporters tried to surround the vehicle when it arrived, with many supporters having gathered outside the court doors since Friday to lobby for their leader.

The judges’ decision is 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 courtroom is not open to the media, the court told AFP.

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.

He was arrested following a six-hour pre-dawn assault by anti-corruption investigators and police on his official residence, a first in South Korea for a sitting head of state.

Authorities could hold Yoon Suk Yeol for 48 hours under the active arrest warrant at the time of their raid. An extension was requested on Friday in order to keep him locked up longer.

The National Assembly passed an impeachment motion against Yoon Suk Yeol 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.

In this procedure parallel to the ongoing investigations, the court has until mid-June to permanently dismiss him, 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 did 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.

Yoon Suk Yeol 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 facts by his desire to protect South Korea from “North Korean communist forces” and “elements hostile to the State”.