Impeached South Korean president argues for his release from custody
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Yoon Suk Yeol appears in court at hearing to decide on his formal arrest over martial law declaration. The impeached president of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, has argued that he be released from custody before a court in Seoul which is considering whether to grant a request for his formal arrest.
![[Yoon Suk Yeol speaks from behind a dais with the South Korean flag in the background]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/e35386490ead49ba114b70d233e556e20db90ebf/900_0_3846_3847/master/3846.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Yoon has been in detention since being seized in a large law enforcement operation at his residence on Wednesday. He has been accused of orchestrating a rebellion after his declaration of martial law in December last year, which triggered South Korea’s most serious political crisis since its democratisation in the late 1980s.
A warrant for Yoon’s formal arrest was requested by the the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, which is leading a joint investigation with police and the country’s military. Yoon’s lawyers said he spoke for about 40 minutes to the judge during the nearly five-hour closed-door hearing. His legal team and anti-corruption agencies presented opposing arguments about whether he should be held in custody. The lawyers did not share his specific comments.
The judge is expected to make a decision this weekend. Yoon’s motorcade was seen leaving the court on Saturday evening for the detention centre where he is being held. If Yoon is arrested, investigators can extend his detention to 20 days, during which they will transfer the case to public prosecutors for indictment. If the court rejects the investigators’ request, Yoon will be released and return to his residence.
