A South Korean court has ordered the official arrest of impeached President Yoon due to the state of emergency decree

The impeached president of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, he was formally arrested early Sunday, days after he was arrested at his presidential compound in Seoul, as he faces possible jail time over his ill-fated declaration of martial law last month.

Yoon’s arrest could mark the beginning of an extended period of detention for him, which could last several months or more.

Seoul’s Western District Court granted law enforcement’s request for an arrest warrant for Yoon after hours of deliberations, saying he posed a threat to destroy evidence. Yoon and his lawyers appeared before a court judge during a hearing on Saturday and argued for his release.

Yoon, who has been in custody since he was arrested in a major police operation at his apartment complex on Wednesday, faces possible sedition charges related to his declaration of a state of emergency on December 3, which sparked the country’s biggest crackdown serious political crisis since its democratization in the late 1980s.

The Office of Corruption Investigation for Senior Officials, which is conducting a joint investigation with the police and the military, can now extend his detention for 20 days, during which the case will be forwarded to state attorneys for indictment.

Yoon’s lawyers may also file a motion to challenge the court’s arrest warrant.

Yoon’s appearance at Seoul’s Western District Court sparked chaotic scenes in nearby streets, where thousands of his ardent supporters gathered for hours calling for his release. They clashed with the police, who detained about 40 protesters, including about 20 who climbed over the fence in an attempt to approach the court. At least two vehicles carrying anti-corruption investigators were damaged as they left the court after advocating for Yoon’s arrest.

Yoon’s lawyers said he spoke for about 40 minutes with the judge during the nearly five-hour closed-door hearing. His legal team and anti-corruption agencies have made opposing arguments about whether he should be kept in custody. The lawyers did not provide his specific comments.

The judge is expected to make a decision late Saturday or early Sunday. Yoon’s motorcade was seen leaving the court on Saturday night for the detention center, where Yoon will await the decision.

Yoon was transported to the court from a detention center in Uiwang, nearby Seoul, in a blue van of the Ministry of Justice, accompanied by the police and the presidential security service.

A line of cars entered the court’s basement parking lot as thousands of Yoon’s supporters gathered in nearby streets despite a heavy police presence. Some protesters broke through the police columns and pounded on the windows of his van that was approaching the court. Yoon did not speak to reporters.

After its investigators were attacked by protesters, the anti-corruption agency asked media houses to hide the faces of its members who attended the hearing.

As of Saturday morning, it was unclear whether Yoon would choose to attend the hearing.

Defense lawyers met with Yoon at the detention center and he accepted his legal team’s advice to appear before the judge in person, said Yoon Kab-keun, one of the president’s lawyers. The lawyer said the president should argue that his decree was a legitimate exercise of his powers and that charges of sedition would not hold up in a criminal court or the Constitutional Court, which is considering whether to formally remove him from office or reinstate him.

Nine people, including Yoon’s defense minister, the police chief and several top military commanders, have already been arrested and charged for their role in enforcing martial law.

The crisis started when Yoon, in an attempt to break through the legislative deadlock, imposed military rule and sent troops to the National Assembly and election offices. The standoff lasted only a few hours after lawmakers who managed to get through the blockade voted to repeal the measure. The opposition-dominated assembly voted to impeach him on December 14.

If Yoon is formally arrested, it could mark the beginning of an extended period of detention for him, lasting several months or more.

If prosecutors charge Yoon with sedition and abuse of power, charges that investigators are now looking into, they could detain him for up to six months before trial.

Under South Korean law, orchestrating a rebellion is punishable by life imprisonment or the death penalty.

Yoon’s lawyers argued there was no need to detain him during the investigation, saying he did not pose a threat to flee or destroy evidence.