South Korea’s impeached president will appear at a hearing in a Seoul court on Saturday to oppose a formal arrest over last month’s imposition of martial law, his lawyers said.
Yoon Suk Yeol, who has been in detention since he was apprehended on Wednesday in a massive law enforcement operation at his residence, 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 police and the military, requested the Seoul Western District Court to grant a warrant for Mr Yoon’s formal arrest.
After meeting Mr Yoon at the detention centre, lawyer Yoon Kab-keun said in a text message that the president had his legal team’s advice to appear personally before the judge.
The president plans to argue that his decree was a legitimate exercise of his powers and that accusations of rebellion would not hold up before a criminal court or the Constitutional Court, which is reviewing whether to formally remove him from office or reinstate him, his lawyer said.
Hundreds of Mr Yoon’s supporters rallied overnight at the court, calling for his release.
If he 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, Mr Yoon will be released and return to his residence.
The crisis began when Mr Yoon, in an attempt to break through legislative gridlock, imposed military rule and sent troops to the National Assembly and election offices. The standoff lasted only hours after lawmakers who managed to get through a blockade voted to lift the measure.
The opposition-dominated assembly voted to impeach him on December 14.