Impeached President of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol appeared in court on Saturday to oppose investigators’ plea to extend his imprisonment on rebellion charges, according to his counsel.
The impeached President became the country’s first sitting president to be arrested in a criminal investigation into his short-lived declaration of martial law on December 3.
To keep Yoon in custody for an additional 20 days, investigators asked for a detention warrant on Friday. He has been detained at the Seoul Detention Center since his arrest and has been refusing to speak to investigators.
As the hearing started at around 2:00 PM (0500GMT), police were observed dispersing a group of Yoon’s supporters who had blocked the gate of Seoul Western District Court. Saturday or Sunday is when a decision is anticipated.
Yoon’s lawyer, Yoon Kab-keun, said in a statement that “He decided to attend … to restore his honour by directly explaining the legitimacy of emergency martial law and that insurrection is not established,”
Insurrection, the crime alleged against 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.
