South Korea’s court issued a warrant early Sunday to detain the arrested President Yoon Suk-yeol for up to 20 days, raising a possibility that he would be indicted under detention for insurrection charge over his botched martial law imposition.
The Seoul Western District Court accepted the warrant request that was made Friday by the joint investigation unit, composed of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), the National Office of Investigation (NOI), and the defense ministry’s investigative headquarters.
The embattled Yoon decided to attend the five-hour hearing to explain the legitimacy of his martial law declaration and restore his reputation, according to Yoon’s defense counsel.
Yoon claimed that the martial law imposition was an act of presidential governance, which could not be subject to a court trial, but investigative agencies said Yoon declared the martial law for no reason with the announcement of a martial law decree illegally banning the political activity of lawmakers who have right to lift the martial law.
With the warrant issuance, the possibility grew that Yoon would be prosecuted under detention for insurrection charge.
Before the indictment, Yoon will be questioned by the CIO for the initial 10 days, including an arrest period, and by the prosecution for the latter 10 days as the two sides agreed to jointly investigate Yoon’s insurrection charge.
Yoon has been in custody at the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, some 20 km south of Seoul and just 5 km away from the CIO building.
He was arrested in the presidential office on Wednesday and became the first incumbent president to be apprehended in the country’s modern history.
Yoon will separately have to stand trial for his impeachment that was passed in the National Assembly on Dec. 14, 2024, and was delivered to the constitutional court to deliberate it for up to 180 days, during which his presidency is suspended.
The constitutional court on Thursday held the second hearing of Yoon’s impeachment trial over his declaration of an emergency martial law on the night of Dec. 3 that was revoked by the National Assembly hours later.
The next hearings will be held on 21 and 23 of January and on 4, 6, 11 and 13 of February.
Two newly appointed justices filled two of three vacancies in the nine-member bench, launching their duties earlier this month.
To oust Yoon from office, at least six justices of the court are required to uphold the impeachment.
