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South Korea: Yoon in court at hearing on extension of detention
Suspended South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol appeared at a hearing Saturday on a request to extend his detention, the Seoul court said, following his arrest for his failed attempt to impose martial law. .Yoon spoke for 40 minutes in court, the Yonhap news agency reported, his lawyer having previously told AFP that the leader hoped to “restore his honor” before the judges. The court must now decide whether to release Yoon, which analysts say is unlikely, or extend his detention by around 20 days. His decision is expected late Saturday or early Sunday. Outside the court, AFP journalists saw crowds of Yoon supporters waving flags and holding signs reading “free the president.” There were around 12,000 supporters, according to police cited by Yonhap. The conservative leader had arrived at the court from the detention center where he was placed on Wednesday following his arrest aboard a blue Ministry of Defense van. Justice, AFP journalists noted. Several of his supporters then tried to surround the vehicle when it arrived. Many supporters have gathered in front of the court doors since Friday to put pressure on their leader. – ‘Passionate patriotism’ – On Friday, Yoon sent a letter through his lawyers thanking his supporters, who include evangelical Christians and right-wing YouTubers, for their protests, emphasizing their “passionate patriotism.” chanted “We love you, President Yoon Suk Yeol” as well as “impeachment is not valid!”. They then marched waving South Korean and American flags and occupied the main roads in front of the court. Yoon’s party generally favors the American security alliance with South Korea and rejects any engagement with North Korea , equipped with nuclear weapons. “The likelihood of the court approving the arrest is very high, and aware of this, Yoon called for maximum mobilization among his hardliners,” Chae Jin-won of Humanitas College in Beijing told AFP. Kyung Hee University. “Today’s protests, he said, constitute a sort of farewell between Yoon and his extreme support base.” – Possible 20-day extension – A court decision approving Yoon’s continued detention would give prosecutors time to formalize an indictment for insurrection, a charge for which he could be imprisoned for life or executed if convicted. found guilty.Such a charge would also mean Yoon would likely be detained for the duration of his trial. Once “the arrest warrant is issued this time, (Yoon) will probably not be able to return home for an extended period of time,” political analyst Park Sang-byung told AFP. of his detention would on the contrary lead to his release.Yoon is accused of having destabilized the country by declaring martial law by surprise on December 3, a coup of force however quickly thwarted by the deputies, within a Parliament surrounded by soldiers.He had justified the establishment of martial law as a measure intended to protect South Korea from “North Korean communist forces” and to “eliminate elements hostile to the state”. He was arrested Wednesday following a six-hour assault by anti-corruption investigators and police on his official residence, a first in South Korea for a sitting head of state. Yoon said Wednesday he had agreed to leave his compound to avoid “an outpouring of blood”, but that he did not accept the legality of the investigation. The authorities could hold Mr. Yoon for 48 hours under the arrest warrant at the time of their arrest operation. An extension was requested on Friday in order to keep him in detention longer. The National Assembly adopted a motion for impeachment against him on December 14, causing his suspension. However, he officially remains the president, only the Constitutional Court having the power to withdraw his title. In this procedure parallel to the ongoing investigations, the court has until mid-June to definitively dismiss him, or decide to reinstate him in its functions. cdl-jfx-tmt/jnd/alh-sba/fio
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