A court in Seoul grants request for an arrest warrant, saying there was ‘concern’ that Yoon could ‘destroy evidence’.
A South Korean court has extended President Yoon Suk-yeol’s detention for up to 20 days, leading to violent protests by hundreds of angry supporters who stormed the court building, smashed windows, and broke in.
Shortly after the court’s decision was announced at about 3am on Sunday (18:00 GMT on Saturday), his supporters swarmed the building, overwhelming riot police trying to keep them at bay.
Yoon last week became the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested as he faces allegations of insurrection related to his stunning, short-lived December 3 declaration of martial law that has plunged the country into political turmoil.
Footage showed protesters blasting fire extinguishers at lines of police guarding the front entrance, before they flooded inside, destroying office equipment and furniture.
Yoon and his lawyers appeared before the court’s judge during a hearing on Saturday and argued for his release. His arrest could mark the beginning of an extended period in custody for him, lasting months or more.
He faces potential rebellion charges linked to his declaration of martial law on December 3, which set off the country’s most serious political crisis since its democratisation in the late 1980s.
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, which is leading a joint investigation with the police and the military, can now extend his detention to 20 days, during which they will transfer the case to public prosecutors for indictment.
Yoon’s lawyers could also file a petition to challenge the court’s arrest warrant.
‘Will never give up’
The leader is expected to continue to be held in a solitary cell at the Seoul Detention Centre.
“President Yoon Suk Yeol and our legal team will never give up,” lawyers representing Yoon, who called the criminal probe invalid, said in a statement.
“We will do our best in all future judicial procedures to correct the wrong,” the lawyers said, adding that the violence at the court was an “unfortunate” incident.
Yoon’s conservative People Power Party (PPP) called the court’s decision a “great pity”.
“There’s a question whether repercussions of detaining a sitting president were sufficiently considered,” the party said in a statement.
But the main opposition Democratic Party called the court’s approval of the warrant a “cornerstone” for rebuilding order and said “riots” by “far-right” groups would only deepen the national crisis.
Support for the PPP collapsed after his martial law declaration, which he rescinded hours later in the face of a unanimous vote in parliament rejecting it. Lawmakers impeached Yoon on December 14, suspending his presidential powers.
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