Supporters of the ousted South Korean president stormed a court in Seoul after it extended his prison term
A South Korean court on Sunday extended the detention of ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol for up to 20 days, leading to violent protests by hundreds of angry supporters who stormed the court building, smashing windows and breaking into the interior.
Last week, Yoon became South Korea’s first sitting president to be imprisoned as he faces treason charges related to his dramatic, short-lived Dec. 3 of the martial law that has plunged the country into political chaos.
Shortly after the announcement of the court’s decision on Sunday at three o’clock in the morning, his supporters flocked to the building, surrounded by riot police trying to stop them.
Footage showed protesters setting fire extinguishers at a line of police officers guarding the front gate, before storming inside, destroying office equipment and furniture.
The police, who restored peace after a few hours, said they have so far arrested 46 protesters.
“We will follow the trail to the end of many who have committed illegal acts or who have encouraged and assisted them,” the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said in a statement.
About 40 people were injured during the riots, but no one was seriously injured, said a spokesman for the emergency services near the court.
Yoon ‘can destroy the evidence,’ the court said
Demanding that a request be made to extend Yoon’s detention or release him within 48 hours, South Korean investigators asked a court in Seoul on Friday to hold him longer after he refused to be questioned.
After a five-hour hearing on Saturday attended by Yoon, the Seoul Western District Court chose to accept the request of the investigators due to “concern that the suspect may destroy the evidence,” the court said in a statement.
Under the new warrant, Yoon could be jailed for up to 20 days. South Korean law requires that a suspect arrested under a warrant undergo a physical examination, have his gun confiscated and wear a prison uniform.
He is expected to remain in solitary confinement at the Seoul Detention Center.
Ousted South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested and questioned by authorities on Wednesday in connection with a treason investigation. He said he was only cooperating with what he called an illegal investigation to avoid violence. An estimated 3,000 police were deployed at Yoon’s presidential compound, armed with machetes and ladders.
“President Yoon Suk Yeol and our legal team will never give up,” his lawyers, who called for an illegal investigation, said in a statement.
“We will do our best in all future judicial proceedings to correct the wrongs,” the lawyers said, adding that the ongoing violence in court is an “unfortunate” incident.
Yoon’s conservative People Power Party (PPP) called the court’s decision “a big pity.”
“There is a question as to whether the results of the arrest of the sitting president have been sufficiently investigated,” the group said in a statement.
But the opposition Democratic Party called the court’s approval of the warrant a “cornerstone” for rebuilding the order and said “riots” by “right-wing” groups would deepen the country’s crisis.
Support for the PPP crumbled after Yoon’s declaration of martial law, which he withdrew hours later in the face of a unanimous vote in parliament to reject it. Lawmakers charged Yoon on Dec. 14, suspending his presidential powers.
South Korean investigators left the residence of ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol after a nearly six-hour standoff on Friday in which he resisted their attempt to detain him. Jeremy Chan, senior analyst for China & Northeast Asia, Eurasia Group, says he is ‘deeply concerned’ about the state of democracy in South Korea.
But in the turmoil since — when the opposition majority parliament impeached him for the first time and investigators failed in the first attempt to arrest Yoon — support for the PPP has grown significantly.
His party has moved ahead of the opposition Democratic Party in terms of support – 39 percent to 36 percent – for the first time since August, a Gallup Korea poll showed on Friday.
Denying allegations that he is the mastermind of the coup, Yoon has so far stopped the efforts of the High-ranking Corruption Investigation Office to investigate him, refusing to be questioned.
His lawyers said the arrest was illegal because the warrant was issued in the wrong place and the investigative team did not have the authority to conduct the investigation.
Treason, the crime Yoon may be charged with, is one of the few that South Korea’s president cannot defend against and is technically punishable by death. However, South Korea has not executed anyone in nearly 30 years.
Separated from the criminal investigation that sparked the uproar on Sunday, the country’s Constitutional Court is debating whether to accept the trial and permanently remove Yoon or restore his powers.
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