Islam Times - Impeached S Korean President Yoon Finally Shows Up in Court

Islam Times - Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arrived at court for the first time on Saturday to attend a hearing that will decide whether to extend his detention as investigators probe his failed martial law bid.

Yoon, who has claimed his arrest is illegal, threw the nation into chaos on December 3 when he attempted to suspend civilian rule, citing the need to combat threats from “anti-state elements”.

Yoon’s die-hard supporters gathered outside the court building Saturday, even trying to surround the blue van carrying the suspended leader, AFP reporters saw.

Yoon’s martial law bid lasted just six hours, with lawmakers voting it down despite the president ordering soldiers to storm parliament to stop them.

Yoon was subsequently impeached by parliament and resisted arrest for weeks, holed up in his guarded residence until he was finally detained Wednesday in a dawn raid.

South Korea’s first sitting president to be detained, Yoon has refused to cooperate during the initial 48 hours detectives were allowed to hold him.

But the disgraced president remains in custody after investigators requested a new warrant Friday to extend his detention.

A judge at Seoul Western District Court was set to review the request at a 2:00 pm (0500 GMT) hearing, with her decision expected Saturday night or early Sunday.

Before the hearing, Yoon’s lawyer Yoon Kab-keun told AFP the president would attend “with the intention of restoring his honor”.

If approved, the new warrant would likely extend Yoon’s detention by 20 days, giving prosecutors time to formalize an indictment.

The Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) is probing Yoon for insurrection, a charge that could see him jailed for life or executed if found guilty.