A Seoul court extended the detention period of ousted South Korean President Yeon Suk-yul over his failed attempt to impose martial law in the country last month.
Given concerns that Yoon would destroy evidence if released, a judge on Sunday issued an order allowing investigators to keep the arrested president in custody for up to 20 days.
The 64-year-old was arrested on Wednesday after a weeks-long standoff between investigators and the presidential security team.
The president's supporters stormed the court after his detention period was extended, and smashed windows and doors in an incident condemned by Yoon and the country's acting president.
The arrest warrant — and Yoon's subsequent refusal to comply with investigators — is the latest development in a saga that has left South Korea reeling from a political crisis.
The memo was issued at around 03:00 local time (18:00 GMT on Saturday).
The suspended president is being investigated by the Senior Officials Corruption Investigation Bureau (CIO) for rebellion over the failure of the martial law order on December 3 that plunged the country into turmoil.
He has been impeached by Parliament and suspended from office – but will only be removed from office if the Constitutional Court upholds the accusation.
Investigators now have 20 days – including the four days Yoon has already spent in custody after his arrest – to bring the president to trial.
After his detention was extended, Yoon's lawyer, Yoon Jaap Geun, told Yonhap News Agency that the president would refuse to be questioned by the CIO.
Yoon's supporters gathered outside the court building in the run-up to the decision, and many entered the building after the judges issued the extension.
Journalists at the scene reported that they saw dozens of people arrested by police after the incident.
Acting President Choi Sang-mok expressed “deep regret” over the violence that was “unthinkable in a democratic society,” adding that authorities would strengthen security measures around future demonstrations.
Choi only recently assumed the position after the South Korean parliament voted in favor of him Former acting president, Han Dak-soo, was impeacheddue to allegations that Yoon's impeachment was thwarted.
Yoon's lawyer said Yoon was “shocked” by the scenes in court, and called on his supporters to express themselves peacefully, according to local media.
This incident is the latest in a series of attempts by Yoon's supporters to thwart legal proceedings against the president.
The night before his arrest, hundreds of pro-Leon protesters turned out They camped outside the president's house and clashed with police officers who tried to arrest him.
Similar scenes occurred during a previous arrest attempt on January 3, where Angry supporters supporting Leon, hoping to stop the arrest, gathered outside the president's home.
South Korean police had to call off their first attempt at arrest After the president's security team denied entry to Yoon's compound.
Public opinion was divided after that Yoon's surprise declaration of martial law last monthWhich he claimed was due to “anti-state forces” in the South Korean parliament, mentioning North Korea.
But others saw the move as an extreme reaction to the political stalemate that arose after his party's main opposition won a landslide in April, as well as… Yoon's unpopularity follows a scandal surrounding the First Lady.
Thousands took to the streets to demonstrate against the suspended president in the weeks that followed his ill-fated attempt to impose martial law.
