By The Straits Times | Created at 2025-01-18 03:15:55 | Updated at 2025-01-18 05:58:12
3 hours ago
SEOUL - Mr Yoon Suk Yeol, South Korea’s impeached president, plans to attend a court hearing on Jan 18 to fight a request by investigators to extend his detention on accusations of insurrection, his lawyer said.
Mr Yoon on Jan 15 became the country's first sitting president to be arrested, in a criminal probe related to his short-lived declaration of martial law on Dec 3.
Investigators requested a detention warrant on Jan 17 to extend their custody of Yoon for up to 20 days. He has been refusing to talk to investigators and has been held in Seoul Detention Centre since his arrest.
Police were seen breaking up a crowd of Mr Yoon's supporters blocking the gate of Seoul Western District Court, where the hearing is expected to begin at 2pm local time (1pm Singapore time). A decision is expected on Jan 18 or 19.
“He decided to attend... to restore his honour by directly explaining the legitimacy of emergency martial law and that insurrection is not established,” Mr Yoon’s lawyer, Mr Yoon Kab-keun, said in a statement.
Insurrection, the crime alleged against Mr Yoon by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, is one of the few that an incumbent South Korean president does not have immunity from.
Detention warrant hearings usually last about two hours in South Korea but can last eight to 10 hours if arguments heat up. REUTERS
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