Is the Arrest of South Korean Ex-President Yoon Legal?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Yoon Suk Yeol has filed a legal petition regarding his arrest.
- The petition claims his arrest was illegal and unjust.
- The Seoul Central District Court must review the legality of his arrest.
- Yoon has been held in Seoul Detention Center since last Thursday.
- This case could impact the future of judicial authority in South Korea.
Seoul, July 16 (NationPress) Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has initiated a legal review concerning the validity of his arrest, as confirmed by his legal team on Wednesday. This move marks the beginning of efforts to restore his freedom just a week after being detained due to his unsuccessful attempt to enforce martial law.
The petition was submitted to the Seoul Central District Court, asserting that his arrest was both “illegal” and “unjust” in both substantive and procedural terms, according to a statement released by his lawyers.
According to legal requirements, the court must interrogate the suspect and examine evidence within 48 hours of the petition being filed to determine whether the arrest was lawful and should remain in effect, as reported by Yonhap News Agency.
Depending on the court's decision, Yoon may be released from the Seoul Detention Center, where he has been held since last Thursday following the issuance of an arrest warrant linked to five significant charges associated with his martial law proposal.
Yoon previously took similar legal action in January following his initial arrest.
At that time, his detention was ruled legal, but a subsequent request to annul his arrest was granted by the court, leading to his release in March.
In a related development, a special counsel team made another attempt on Tuesday to summon former President Yoon Suk Yeol from his detention for questioning regarding his martial law initiative.
The team, led by special counsel Cho Eun-suk, requested that the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, located just south of the capital, present Yoon in their interrogation room by 2 p.m.
Since his second arrest last Thursday, the former president has consistently declined to respond to multiple summonses issued by the special counsel team.