South Korea: Yoon backers riot at court over his arrest
January 19, 2025
A South Korean court on Sunday ruled to extend the arrest of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol.
The embattled politician faces the possibility of imprisonment on potential rebellion charges after he briefly declared martial law on December 3.
South Korea's parliament voted to impeach Yoon on December 14.
What do we know about Yoon's arrest?
On Sunday, the Seoul Western District Court granted a police request for a formal arrest warrant for Yoon.
The court said it decided to extend Yoon's detention due to concerns he could destroy evidence if released.
The decision means that investigators can keep Yoon in pre-trial detention for up to 20 days starting from Wednesday, when he was detained and remanded in custody.
What happened after the arrest?
The announcement was followed by a protest by Yoon supporters, who broke into the court and broke windows and equipment. Almost 90 people were arrested in the incident.
Acting police chief Lee Ho-young said the storming of the court by protesters posed a grave challenge to the rule of law.
He said police would investigate threats against the judge who issued the warrant to extend Yoon's detention.
South Korea's corruption investigation office said it had called Yoon for questioning at 2 p.m. local time (0500 UTC).
Yoon seeks to establish 'legitimacy' of martial law
While Yoon had previously refused to cooperate with investigations, on Saturday his lawyers said he had decided to appear personally in court.
A lawyer for Yoon said the impeached president planned to explain the "legitimacy of emergency martial law" and argue against the charges of insurrection.
Under South Korean law, an insurrection conviction can entail life imprisonment or the death penalty.
In a separate case, South Korea's Constitutional Court is deliberating whether to uphold Yoon's impeachment.
sdi/sms (AP, dpa, Reuters)