A South Korean court will decide on Saturday whether to extend impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol’s imprisonment after investigators arrested him in connection with a failed martial law plot.
Yoon, who is likely to attend the hearing, threw the country into disarray on December 3 by attempting to suspend civilian government, citing the necessity to confront threats from “anti-state elements.”
Soldiers the president’s order to storm parliament failed to prevent legislators from voting against martial law just six hours after his bombshell proclamation.
Yoon was later impeached by parliament and fought arrest for weeks, holed up in his guarded home until he was apprehended Wednesday in a dawn raid.
Yoon, South Korea’s first sitting president imprisoned, refused to cooperate during the initial 48 hours that investigators were authorised to hold him.
However, the deposed president remains in arrest after investigators obtained a new warrant on Friday to extend his detention.
A judge at Seoul Western District Court is scheduled to evaluate the request at 2:00 p.m. (0500 GMT), with a judgement due Saturday night or early Sunday.
Yoon Kab-keun, Yoon’s lawyer, told AFP that the president would attend the court “with the intention of restoring his honour.”.
If issued, the fresh warrant will likely extend Yoon’s incarceration by 20 days, allowing prosecutors to formalise an indictment.
The Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) is investigating Yoon for insurrection, a crime that could land him in prison for life or execution if convicted.
Yoon claimed Wednesday he had agreed to leave his property to avoid “bloodshed,” but that he did not acknowledge the legality of the probe.
His supporters have gathered in front of the court since Friday, holding South Korean and American flags and demanding judges dismiss the plea to extend the president’s imprisonment.
The court blocked its access to the public on Friday evening due to safety concerns.
Yoon has refused to answer investigators’ questions, and his legal team claims the president clarified his position when held on Wednesday.
The president has also been absent from a parallel investigation by the Constitutional Court, which is considering whether to uphold his impeachment.
If the court rules against Yoon, he will lose the presidency, and new elections will be held within 60 days.
He did not attend the first two hearings this week, but the trial, which could last months, will proceed in his absence.
Although he won the presidential election in 2022, the opposition Democratic Party has a majority in parliament after winning parliamentary votes last year.
The Democratic Party has praised the president’s arrest, with a key official describing it as “the first step” towards restoring constitutional and legal order.
As allegations against the embattled leader increase, parliament passed a measure late Friday authorising a special counsel investigation into his failed martial law bid.
