SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol plans to attend a court hearing on Saturday to respond to investigators' request to extend his detention on sedition charges, his lawyer said.
Yoon on Wednesday became the country's first president to be arrested, in a criminal investigation related to his brief declaration of martial law on December 3.
Investigators requested an arrest warrant on Friday to extend Yoon's detention for up to 20 days. He has refused to speak to investigators and has been held in a detention center in Seoul since his arrest.
Police were seen dispersing a crowd of Yoon's supporters who had blocked the gate of the Seoul Western District Court, where the hearing was expected to begin at 2 p.m. (0500 GMT). The decision is expected to be issued on Saturday or Sunday.
“He decided to attend… to restore his honor by directly demonstrating the legality of martial law and that rebellion has not been proven,” Yoon's lawyer, Yoon Kap-kyun, said in a statement.
Mutiny, the crime alleged against Yoon by the Senior Officials Corruption Investigation Bureau, is one of the few crimes from which South Korea's current president is not immune.
Detention order hearings usually last about two hours in South Korea, but can last eight to 10 hours if disputes become heated.
