South Korean investigators have called in arrested President Yoon Suk Yeol for re-interrogation, as authorities face a Friday deadline to extend his detention or obtain a warrant to release the embattled leader, Yonhap news agency reported. Does matter.
Legal experts said that in order to detain Yoon longer, investigators may ask the court on Friday to approve a detention warrant for up to 20 days.
On Wednesday, Yoon became the first sitting president of South Korea to be arrested amid an investigation into whether he rebelled when he imposed martial law briefly in early December. He is being kept in the Seoul Detention Center.
Although Yoon’s lawyers challenged the legality of Yoon’s arrest, the Seoul Central District Court rejected their challenge late Thursday and ruled that Yoon’s arrest was legal.
Yoon has been recalled for questioning at 10 a.m. (0100 GMT) on Friday, Yonhap reported, citing the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) for high-ranking officials leading the criminal investigation. The CIO did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
It was unclear whether Yoon, who has so far refused to answer questions from investigators, would agree to join questioning on Friday. A day earlier, Yoon had refused to be questioned, with his lawyer citing his health as a factor in his absence.
Authorities have 48 hours to question the impeached president, after which they must release him or seek a warrant to detain him for 20 days.
Yonhap cited the CIO as saying that the 48-hour countdown was expected to end on Friday evening after it was paused to allow the court to review the challenge to his arrest.
Yoon’s lawyer Seok Dong-hyeon said Friday that investigators are expected to seek a detention warrant, adding, “We hope that the “illegality” of the arrest will be considered more carefully and comprehensively when the court reviews the warrant.
South Korea is grappling with its worst political crisis in decades, triggered by Yun’s brief attempt to impose martial law on Dec. 3, which was rejected by parliament.
Neighboring North Korea has largely avoided public comment on the political chaos in Seoul, but Yoon’s arrest was reported in state media on Friday, two days after the incident.
Rodong Sinmun newspaper quoted foreign media as saying that this is the first arrest of a sitting president in South Korea.
Rodong Sinmun said, “Yoon Suk Yeol is not following legal procedures for personal interests at the expense of the national system.”
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