On Saturday, former President Yoon Suk Yeol appeared at a court hearing in Seoul to challenge the request for his detention and address concerns about his martial law decree from last December.
The court will decide soon, possibly as early as Saturday night. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO) has requested a warrant to arrest Yoon on charges of insurrection, according to Yonhap News.
Legal proceedings and martial law investigation
The CIO filed for the detention warrant on Friday, seeking to hold Yoon for up to 20 days. If granted, Yoon will become South Korea’s first sitting president to face formal arrest.
Footage from local broadcasters showed vehicles with Yoon arriving at the Seoul Western District Court. His legal representative, Yun Gap-keun, explained that the former president chose to attend the hearing to defend the legitimacy of his martial law decree. Furthermore, Yoon hoped to address concerns about his reputation.
The investigation centres on whether Yoon’s brief martial law declaration amounts to an attempted insurrection. The CIO is leading a joint inquiry with the police and military. However, Yoon’s lawyers argue that the CIO lacks authority to investigate such serious allegations.
Yoon faces charges of insurrection and abuse of power. The CIO believes that, given the severity of these charges, arresting him is necessary to prevent further violations.
Further developments in the investigation
Yoon was arrested on Wednesday after a second attempt by a team of investigators from the CIO. They questioned him for more than 10 hours at the Seoul Detention Centre. However, he reportedly remained silent regarding the charges.
The court rejected his appeal to review the legality of his detention on Thursday.
Meanwhile, two senior officials from the Presidential Security Service (PSS) appeared for questioning on Saturday. Kim Seong-hoon, acting head of the PSS, and Lee Kwang-woo, the head of its bodyguard division, face accusations of attempting to block the investigation into Yoon. Police arrested Kim on Friday for allegedly leading the effort to prevent Yoon’s detention.
In another development, the National Assembly passed a revised bill to appoint a special counsel to investigate Yoon. The opposition party proposed the bill, and the assembly approved it with 188 votes in favour and 86 against. Lawmakers from the ruling People Power Party (PPP) opposed the bill. The opposition bloc, led by the Democratic Party (DP), holds a majority in the 300-seat legislature.
Following the collapse of talks between DP floor leader Park Chan-dae and PPP counterpart Kweon Seong-dong, the opposition proceeded with the revised bill. Notably, this version excludes claims that Yoon provoked a war with North Korea, which had initially been included in the original accusations of treason.
