South Korea: Court Dismisses Challenge to Impeached President Yoon's Detention in Martial Law Inquiry

Synopsis

A Seoul court has rejected a petition from impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol's legal team challenging his detention over a failed martial law declaration. The court upheld the legality of his detention amid ongoing investigations into the matter.

Key Takeaways

The court dismissed the petition challenging Yoon's detention.
Yoon was detained for questioning regarding his martial law declaration.
The CIO's authority to investigate insurrection was upheld.
Yoon's claims about jurisdiction and police misconduct were rejected.
The CIO is expected to seek another warrant for Yoon's arrest.

Seoul, Jan 17 (NationPress) A court in Seoul has dismissed a petition contesting the detention of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol during the active investigation into his failed martial law initiative, ensuring he remains in custody just a day after his questioning began.

The ruling from the Seoul Central District Court followed a petition filed by Yoon's legal team, which aimed to question the legality of his detention, as reported by Yonhap news agency.

On the previous day, law enforcement took Yoon into custody to question him regarding his declaration of martial law on December 3, which he made after disregarding three summons to appear for questioning.

The court's ruling dismissed assertions from Yoon's legal team that the detention warrant issued by the Seoul Western District Court was not valid.

Yoon has continuously maintained that the case should have been overseen by the Seoul Central District Court, with his attorneys asserting that prosecutors would ultimately transfer the case there.

Additionally, the court refuted claims from Yoon's team that the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) did not have the authority to investigate matters related to insurrection, affirming its jurisdiction in such cases.

The court also dismissed arguments alleging that police acted unlawfully during the detention process and that the martial law declaration, which involved a limited number of unarmed personnel entering the National Assembly, did not violate constitutional order.

While the review was underway, Yoon's 48-hour detention period was temporarily paused around 2 p.m., as investigators submitted documents, including evidence, to the court. This detention period will remain on hold until the court returns the documents to the investigators.

Yoon did not participate in the court's private hearing, part of the review, citing security concerns, and his legal representatives attended in his place.

The CIO is anticipated to request another court warrant on Friday for his official arrest to facilitate further investigation while he remains in custody.