Ju-min Park and Joyce Lee
SEOUL (Reuters) – Arrested South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will not attend a new round of questioning by investigators on Friday, his lawyer said, as authorities face a looming deadline to obtain an order to extend his detention or free the warlord.
To keep Yoon in custody longer, investigators are expected to ask the court on Friday to grant detention for up to 20 days, legal experts said.
On Wednesday, Yoon became the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested amid investigations into whether he committed rebellion when he briefly imposed martial law in early December. He was imprisoned in a detention center in Seoul.
Although Yoon’s lawyers contested the legality of his arrest, the Seoul Central District Court rejected the challenge late Thursday, ruling that the arrest was lawful.
The Corruption Perceptions Office (CIO), which is leading the criminal investigation, summoned Yoon for questioning on Friday, but his lawyer said the suspended president would not attend.
“He fully stated his basic position on the first day (of his arrest) and we believe there is no reason or need to answer questions and answers in a back-and-forth style,” Yoon’s lawyer, Seok Dong-hyeon, said in a statement.
Yoon, who has fended off efforts to question him, also declined to be questioned on Thursday.
The authorities have 48 hours to question the impeached president, after which they must release him or request a detention order of up to 20 days.
The 48-hour countdown is expected to end Friday night after being paused to allow the court to consider an appeal against his arrest, Yonhap news agency reported, citing the CIO.
Seok said Friday that investigators are expected to seek a detention order, adding: “We hope there will be a more careful and comprehensive review” of the “illegality” of the arrest when the court considers the order.
South Korea is grappling with its worst political crisis in decades, sparked by Yoon’s brief attempt to impose martial law on Dec. 3 that was rejected by parliament.
While key ally Washington criticized Yoon’s declaration of a state of emergency, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan warned last week that there was a risk that nuclear-armed North Korea could try to exploit the political situation in South Korea.
North Korea has largely avoided public comment on the situation in Seoul, but Yoon’s arrest was reported by state media on Friday, two days after the event.
The Rodong Sinmun newspaper quoted foreign media as saying it was the first arrest of a sitting president in South Korea.
“Yoon Suk Yeol does not follow legal procedures at the expense of national order for individual interests,” Rodong Sinmun said.
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