by Admin
Jan 17, 2025
After the historic arrest of President Yoon on Wednesday morning South Korean anti-corruption investigators plan to seek a warrant to extend the detention of President Yoon Suk-yeol after the impeached leader again refused to participate in questioning regarding his brief declaration of martial law.
On Friday, South Korea’s Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) disclosed that it has submitted a request to the court.
On Wednesday, President Yoon became the first sitting president in South Korean history to be taken into custody after investigators conducted a dawn raid on his residence in Seoul.
According to the terms of the warrant executed that day, investigators were authorized to detain the embattled leader for up to 48 hours.
Seoul Central District Court on Thursday dismissed a motion from President Yoon’s lawyers challenging the legality of his arrest, which came into effect after a weeks-long standoff between investigators and presidential security at his compound.
President Yoon, who has been suspended from office since his impeachment on December 14, is under investigation for offenses including insurrection, which is punishable by life imprisonment or the death penalty, though South Korea has a longstanding moratorium on executions.
Seok Dong-Hyeon, one of President Yoon’s lawyers, disclosed that “The president will not appear at the CIO today. He has sufficiently expressed his basic stance to the investigators on the first day,”
In the meantime, Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok has assumed the role of acting president.
Deputy Prime Minister Choi filled the position following the impeachment of Yoon’s initial successor, Han Duck-soo. Han was removed from office after refusing to promptly fill three vacancies on the Constitutional Court, which further complicated the leadership transition.
President Yoon’s legal counsel has strongly criticized his arrest, labeling it as an illicit act of destabilizing the constitution. In a statement, they asserted that President Yoon saw no reason to answer questions regarding the charges against him, signaling his refusal to engage with the ongoing legal proceedings.