A Seoul court has denied a second request to extend the detention of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, a decision made on Saturday, January 25. Prosecutors had intended to keep Yoon in custody until February 6 to conduct further questioning prior to formally indicting him. However, with the court's ruling, these plans must now be adjusted.
Yoon was arrested last week on charges of insurrection, marking the first time a sitting South Korean head of state has been detained in a criminal investigation. His arrest follows a martial law decree he issued on December 3, which lasted a mere six hours before lawmakers voted it down. This decree plunged South Korea into its most severe political crisis in decades and brought about a challenging situation for the nation.
The court previously stated it was "difficult to find sufficient grounds" to grant an extension of Yoon's detention. Consequently, prosecutors face a new urgency in their proceedings.
"With the court's rejection of the extension, prosecutors must now work quickly to formally indict Yoon to keep him behind bars." – Yoo Jung-hoon, an attorney and political commentator.
Yoon's legal defense team has argued that investigators lack the legal authority to detain him, and Yoon himself has refused to cooperate with the criminal probe. Meanwhile, he faces a separate hearing in the Constitutional Court. Should the court uphold his impeachment, Yoon will be officially ousted from office, necessitating an election within 60 days.
The rejection of the detention extension is a significant development in this ongoing political saga. As prosecutors recalibrate their strategy, South Korea remains on edge, awaiting the next steps in this unprecedented case.
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