SEOUL: South Korea’s arrested President Yoon Suk Yeol will not attend a new round of questioning by investigators on Friday (Jan 17), his lawyer said, as authorities face an imminent deadline to obtain a warrant to extend his detention or release the embattled leader.
In order to hold Yoon in custody for longer, investigators are expected on Friday to ask a court to approve a detention warrant for up to 20 days, legal experts said.
On Wednesday, Yoon became the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested, over a probe into whether he committed insurrection when he briefly imposed martial law in early December. He is being held at the Seoul Detention Centre.
Although Yoon’s lawyers challenged the legality of his arrest, the Seoul Central District Court struck down the challenge late on Thursday, ruling that the arrest was legal.
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), which is leading the criminal probe, recalled Yoon for questioning on Friday, but his lawyer said the suspended president would not attend.
“He has fully stated his basic position on the first day (of the arrest), and we believe there is no reason or need to answer the Q&A style back-and-forth,” Yoon’s lawyer, Seok Dong-hyeon, said in a statement.
